Strife in Remnant
by Stevie572
Summary: Can Cloud make a difference on Remnant? After his fight with Kadaj's group and beating Sephiroth once again, Cloud is still cursed with his Geostigma sickness. Taken to Remnant for healing he finds himself fighting a new threat. -Post FF-VII Advent Children.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Author Notes:**

**This story is focused on Cloud as the main character and his experiences on Remnant. The story takes place right after FFVII Advent Children so you may find it confusing if you haven't seen the movie. Knowing the movie isn't super important for the rest of the story but it'll help with this opening chapter. **

** I'll use RWBY's plot as a general guideline but expect things to be AU as I'm going to incorporate elements of Final Fantasy VII into RWBY's world. I do plan for Cloud to meet up with team RWBY but he won't at the start as I want to set the tone of the story and do some world building. **

* * *

Listening to the soft beep of the heart monitor, Tifa Lockhart was sitting on a chair within a dreary hospital room with the low chatter from the TV in the room. It had already been a day since she had arrived at the hospital and she could feel the exhaustion creeping in from the lack of sleep. Reaching out Tifa held the hand of Cloud Strife who lay bandaged and unresponsive in the bed in front of her. Sighing, Tifa listened to the news story on the TV to help try and stay awake.

_"For months the Geostigma sickness spread and ravaged our communities and cities. No one could uncover what was causing it and there was no cure in sight."_

During that time Tifa had to stay strong and put on a smile every morning for the two kids living together with her and Cloud at her bar called 7th heaven. Marlene the adopted daughter of one of her closest friends, Barret , and a orphaned boy named Denzel who was Marlene's best friend. Working at her small bar along with Cloud and his delivery service, the both of them were making just enough to make ends meet and trying to take care of both kids who they loved dearly. For a time Tifa had never been more happy in life. Living together with Cloud and the two kids made it feel as if they were one big happy family. Although it was simple, it was the kind of life that she had traveled and fought around the world for. Everyday was enjoyable until poor Denzel began to show the terrible Geostigma symptoms and slowly every day life became a struggle.

_"Miraculously, we are getting officially confirmed results that the rain from yesterday has the capability to cure the Geostigma virus."_

Gripping Cloud's hand tightly, Tifa remembered the shocking return of Sephiroth who Cloud had to once again defeat. Hopefully Sephiroth was now burning in hell to never return for all the atrocities that he had committed. Sephiroth was like a curse that would not leave her's and Cloud's life. He killed and destroyed her family and the village Nibelheim that she and Cloud grew up in. Murdered one of their closest friends Aerith who had one of the kindest soul of all the people they had met in their travels around the world. Then Sephiroth had tried to destroy the world with his plan to summon a meteor to strike the planet that would quite possibly kill all life. It was unfathomable how one person could actively bring so much destruction and pain into the world. Now as a result of him again her best friend Cloud lay injured in the hospital.

When Cloud had once again stopped Sephiroth the world was granted a miracle. A miraculous rain that cured those cursed by Geostigma as if it were a thank you gift from the planet. Seeing Denzel smiling happily without any of the taint from Geostigma after watching him struggle every day brought tears to Tifa's eyes. This joy came crashing down the moment Cloud fell from his injuries and was rushed to the hospital. Then came the shocking and crushing revelation that Cloud had been struggling with a strain of Geostigma that the miraculous rain didn't cure.

Looking down and running her hand through the blond locks of clouds unruly hair Tifa chuckled to herself bitterly with tears.

"All that fighting, struggle, and pain to save the world. Then you did it again a second time. Salvation for all... But you and me Cloud."

Thinking back on Cloud's life, Tifa couldn't help but feel how bad a hand Cloud had been dealt. Bullied as a child growing up in school, joining the military and the betrayal by Shinra. A betrayal which led Cloud to becoming a lab experiment for years and subsequent amnesia before reuniting with her. Even after that they had to deal with the globe spanning chase and non-stop battle to stop Sephiroth. There were bright spots during the adventures together but conflict was always a constant. The results of defeating Sephiropth to save the world a second time ? No parade or recognition. No one would ever know what he did or see him as a hero.

All of a sudden the sounds from the TV disappeared.

"...Tifa"

Hearing that voice Tifa could feel her heart stop and all thoughts in her mind grind to a halt. Glancing upwards Tifa cast unbelieving eyes upon a girl that she had thought she would never see again. Aerith the beautiful flower girl that she had watched Cloud lay to rest in the lake of the ruins of an ancient city.

Taking light steps Aerith walked towards Tifa to stand beside her and warmly look down on Cloud as he slept.

"I came to let you know that the planet hasn't forgotten about the sacrifices that you, Cloud and the others have made."

Tifa continued to sit there silently listening while shocked at Aerith sudden arrival.

"Sadly, the things that were done to Cloud by Hojo and Shinra have made Cloud too... different. The rain that cured the others of the Geostigma wont work for Cloud."

Turning to look at Tifa in the eyes, " But the planet does have a solution to try and give Cloud another chance to be happy but you might not like it."

Feeling a warm touch on her shoulder as Aerith placed her hand affectionately on Tifa shoulder.

"The lifestream that flows in Gaia connects to other worlds. One of these worlds has something that can help Cloud with Geostigma and also needs the help from someone like Cloud. When Sephiroth went into the lifestream he brought Jenova along with Jenova's corruption. It's starting to take over that other world. Cloud can find both healing and will also be able to help that world."

Hearing from Aerith that there was a potential way to help Cloud brought hope back into Tifa's heart. Hope that they could rebuild the happiness they had had before Denzel had gotten sick. That is until Tifa heard the part where she and Cloud would have to be separated once again.

Processing and letting what was said process quietly through her mind for a few minutes, Tifa gazed at Cloud's sleeping face and smiled sadly.

"Cloud deserves an opportunity to live and be happy. What do you need me to do?"

* * *

The buzzing and ringing in my mind was disorienting. Cloud felt as if he were floating in space. Stretching out as far as I can see is an endless white expanse in every direction. Trying to recollect the last memories before being in this place, I faintly remember defeating Sephiroth once again and seeing the rain take away the Denzel's Geostigma.

"...Cloud"

Turning backwards towards the sound of the voice, a smiling Aerith appeared. Seeing her unharmed and looking exactly like how I remembered her from when we first met brought a smile to my face.

"Is Denzel and everyone alright ?"

Aerith laughed lightly, " Not even a hello before asking about how others are doing ? Yes, everyone is safe and Denzel has been cured as a thank you gift from the planet for your hardwork."

Hearing those words, I could feel a heaven burden being released and a sense of peace from the months of stress during the time Tifa and I had to take care of Denzel. "I'm glad everything worked out and that it's all over now. To be honest I'm looking forward to getting back to the everyday normal and boring life I had before.".

"I'm sorry Cloud but you won't be able to go back. You've been struggling with it for a while, but the strain of Geostigma that you have can't be cured on Gaia."

What does Aerith mean by not being able to go back ?

"You defeated Sephiroth but when he brought Jenova into the lifestream it had far reaching implications. The lifestream is connected to more worlds than just the one you know and one of those world called Remnant is in need of your help. Cloud, that world has something that they call dust that can help you with managing your Geostigma and the people there could also use your help. Going there can help you recover and give you a new opportunity to regain some of the time that you had lost before and a chance to live your life a bit more."

While thinking about the implications from what Aerith had said, I looked back at the endless white expanse I found myself in. She had said that everyone was safe. If I had a choice I would have wanted to continue the life before with Tifa and everyone. I've been fighting for what felt like the entirety of my life and this could be an opportunity to stop.

Glancing back at Aerith face I coule reminded of one of my best friend Zack and his last words... " **For the both of us... you're gonna... live. You'll be... my living legacy. My honor, my dreams... They're yours now..."**

Zack wanted to live his life to the fullest and to be a hero. When Zack sacrificed his life to save mine these were his last words. Feeling resolved, I looked into Aerith's eyes, "Alright, I'll go."

Aerith smiling back at Cloud, "Remember that me and Tifa will always be proud and blessed that you were in our lives".

* * *

**_On Remnant in a Dust Mine at the outskirts of the Kingdoms_**

"Lawrence I swear if your dragging me down to the bottom of the mine and we find nothing but rocks I'll be putting you on nightwatch for the next several days". Walking down the dark and gravelly road into the pitt of the mines was Lawrence the retired cat-eared faunus hunter who was in charge of village security couldn't help but grumble. He couldn't help but look at Lawrence the dust mine worker skeptically.

"Garth it's a dust coffin at bottom of the mine ! What if its a ancient grim sealed and buried inside there?! I think in this case we are better of safe than sorry".

As they finally reached the bottom of the mind and into the newly created chamber Garth couldn't help but be shocked at what he saw. It was truly a coffin made entirely out of Dust crystals. With several mine workers with pick axes in their hands keeping watch and staring at it wearily for Garth's arrival.

While slowly walking up to the coffin and inspecting it from every angle Garth whispered to Lawrence, "Has anyone tried opening it yet ?".

Chuckling at Garth's question, "Who would want to open a ominous coffin like this? You know all those grim horror stories begins with finding something deep in a mine, Pitt or cave.".

Garth took one last careful inspection of the coffin from every angle. "Everyone step back I'm going to open it." Hearing everyone shuffle back to the entrance quickly Garth took out his old katana and lodged it into a gap in the lid of the coffin. Applying strength to quickly pop the lid off he hurriedly dashed back to prepare for any monster attack. Waiting a few more moments for nothing to happen at all. Slowly inching forward and expecting to see some sort of withered corpse Garth was shocked at what he saw. Lying within the confines of the coffin appeared to be a young man with blonde spiky hair wrapped with a red scarf over a blue shirt and pants. Strapped to his one shoulder was armor along with a giant sword attached to his back. However what was most shocking most of all were the black feathered wings on his back wrapped around him.

* * *

**Thanks for reading up to here as this is my first fanfiction. I decided to bring Cloud into the world of RWBY. Not going to lie, part of the inspiration came from being a fan of Mounty Oums work and watching the death battle between Yang and Tifa. The more I thought about the two worlds, the more I realized that they aren't so different that you couldn't tie some of lore and abilities together to make something believable. Next chapter will focus on settling Cloud into village life in Remnant.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Aerith gave me her last heart warming tight hug before looking up at me and letting go, " Have a safe trip Cloud and remember to enjoy life this time around."_

* * *

Blinking my eyes open I try to focus my vision as I stare at a wooden ceiling that I don't recognize at all. Taking a deep breath, I start to panic when I smell a hated familiar type of scent. The smell of medicine.

Shooting straight up into a sitting position I do what I've been trained for years to do as a Soldier and living a life of constant combat. Enduring the slight sense of vertigo from rising quickly I scan my surroundings for threats and quickly notice the following:

That I'm in a rather small bedroom, I'm not restrained down and I'm not in a dungeon as there is a window to the world outside beside me.

Lying back down on the bed I close my eyes and try to relax.

Even after all this time I guess I'm not quite over the experience of spending four nightmarish years being experimented on in the dungeon of Shinra mansion by that madman Hojo. I open the small window beside me and let the fresh air come in. Feeling the comfortable cool breeze wash on my body helps start the process of calming down my racing heart from the panic of waking up in an unfamiliar room.

Looking out into the small green yard I can see it ends at large a wooden wall that stretches around the perimeter. Turning back to look at what was in my room I notice a chair close to my bed and scan the items on the shelves and desk to conclude that I'm in some sort of make-shift clinic and there was someone taking care of me.

Closing my eyes I try to remember my last memories.

* * *

_Aerith reached out to hold my hand, "Cloud we are going to send you immediately to Remnant because of your injuries from fighting with Sephiroth. How Planet Gaia plans to send you will make for a... unique experience."_

_Cracking a smile, I try to amuse Aerith, "Don't tell me I'm going to be surfing the Lifestream all the way to Remnant. You know I don't like swimming all that much."_

_Laughing lightly back at me, "Actually surfing the Lifestream is pretty close to what you'll be doing."_

_Grimacing at her reply I can't help but start to dread this upcoming journey when I remember my last intimate experience being within the Lifestream. Being accidentally sent hurling into the Lifestream for a swim resulted in massive pain from mako poisoning, being paralyzed to a wheelchair and my mind and memories in shambles. It was only with Tifa's help that I was able to recover._

_"Tifa is helping you get ready for your trip through the Lifestream. You'll be placed in Vincent's coffin which will be embedded with Cure, Time and Lightning materia to both protect you and help you recover. The Lifestream will empower the materia and use the energy from lightning materia to propel you to Remnant. During your journey there your body will be put into a stasis with the Time materia while the Lifestream heals your injuries using Cure."_

_Imagining it in mind and can't help but chuckle at the idea and the irony of it. I'll be surfing the very energy of life in a coffin which is the symbol of death. _

_"I do want to let you know ahead of time though Cloud. Remnant is a different world and a different reality. Although similar to Planet Gaia you may find that your own body will be slightly different. You won't know what those changes will be until you get there but I'm sure it'll only be minor."_

_Letting out a sigh I resign myself to my fate and whatever surprises might be in store._

* * *

For some reason I'm unable to get comfortable lying down on back on the bed. Reaching my hand over my shoulder I touch a very unfamiliar body part. Looking towards my back I notice for the first time that there is something black and feathery folded there. Getting a closer examination, I see a very familiar sight of black angel wings similar to the one that Sephiropth had. The main difference being that it's a pair of black wings instead of a singular wing and it's attached to my very own back.

Interrupting my examination and thoughts is the creaking of the door to my room. Sitting up in my bed so I'm better prepared for anything unexpected, I lock my eyes with a shocked blonde hair woman with two pigtails at the room's entrance. Examining her I notice she is wearing a beige dress that looks like it's from the medieval era and if I had guess she was in her early to mid-twenties. Breaking out of our brief examination of each other, she suddenly slams the door shut and erupts with a yell,**" GARTH, HE'S AWAKE. " **

I grimace a bit from the sudden throbbing pain in my head resulting from her shout. I have to say I'm quite impressed at the lung capacity of this girl.

A few moments later the door opens and coming into my room along with the blonde is a middle-aged man with short dark hair slowly starting to turn grey. He's wearing a simple dark green jacket and brown shirt with tan pants. Attached to his side however is a katana that looks like it has seen its fair share of use. However, the most distinctive feature of this Garth person would have to be the two cat-like animal ears on top of his head. As he takes the seat beside me and we both stare at each other for a moment I quietly blurt out before I can think," .. You're a cat ".

With a deadpan stare back at me, ".. You're a bird".

Cloud strife ladies and gentlemen. Writing the chapter on how to **not **start building positive rapport with strangers. Seems like flying through the Lifestream didn't help me improve my social skills. Looking at his frown I can't help but feel as if I have inadvertently insulted him. Maybe it's like how you're not supposed to tell a person with a scar on their face that they have a scar.

As this awkward silence drags and my mind continues to blank out on what I should say to recover the situation, Garth leans forward towards me, "Who are you boy and why are you here?"

Looking away from him I try to buy some time to think. Obviously telling him the truth that I came from another world through a coffin isn't the smartest thing to do if I don't want to be perceived as insane.

Turning back I tell him, " My name is Cloud Strife and I'm _not _a boy."

Quirking an eyebrow at my reply, " You haven't answered my question boy. I'm in charge of security for this village so I'm going to ask you again. Why are you here and what were you doing down in our Lightning dust mine in a coffin of all things? "

Having bought some time by forcing him to repeat his question I think back to what Aaerith had shared with me. I'm here because there is something that can help me with my Geostigma and that the people of Remnant can use my help. Other than that ... I just realized that Aerith didn't provide any real details for what I'm supposed to be doing here.

Quickly I decided to tell him some half-truths. "I was uh.. put in the coffin because I'm sick with something called Geostigma. Resting in the coffin was supposed to help me recover while I was brought to somewhere that could help me. To be honest I'm not sure what I'm doing here or even where we are."

He didn't reply but the look on his face clearly communicated what he thought of my answer. He wasn't satisfied. Makes sense since the only thing I had really told him was my name and that I'm sick. Garth turned to look at his blond haired companion, "Have you ever heard of this.. Geostigma ?".

The woman looking concerned, " No I've never heard of any sickness called Geostigma before. Is it something contagious? My name is Elizabeth by the way and it's nice to meet you Cloud."

Sighing at her answer, "No Geostigma isn't contagious." Deliberating for a moment I look at my left arm and decide to uncover what's behind the golden clawed gauntlet that begins from my elbow down to to my fingers. Releasing the buckles and straps keeping it in place reveals my pale white skin and the dark splotches that show the Geostigma symptoms.

Elizabeth moves closer to squint down and examine it, "Does it hurt ?".

"The pain is manageable but it can flare up. Geostigma attacks the immune system and is fatal most of the time."

"What do you mean by fatal most of the time?"

"Nearly all who had Geostigma eventually died. However right before I was put in that coffin a cure was found for Geostigma. It's just that the solution didn't work for me."

As Elizabeth took a step back behind Garth I could see her expression soften. "I'm sorry to hear that Cloud. I don't think that there is much that we can do for you either since we've never heard of Geostigma before." I could hear the honest sympathy in the tone of her voice.

"It's alright. I'm sure I'll figure something out."

Pondering the situation for a bit, "You mentioned you found me in a lightning dust mine. Can you tell me more about that?"

Looking annoyed at my question,

"The mine is where you mine lightning dust crystals"

"So... what is lightning dust?"

Pausing at my answer, the two of them look at each other for a moment. Based on their reaction I can see that I've really confused them with my lack of knowledge regarding this subject.

"Boy... Where are you from and where did you grow up? Are you telling us that you have no idea what dust is and what it is used for?"

I decide that telling them the truth probably wouldn't hurt since they wouldn't be able to find any information as result of me being from another world.

"I grew up in small town called Nibelheim before I moved and lived in Midgard. Also, no I don't know what this lighting dust or dust that you are referring to is."

Garth leans back into his chair while looking at me suspiciously, "I've never heard of either of those places and I've traveled allot in my life. What about the Grim. Does that ring a bell?"

"Er.. No, I don't know what the Grim you are referring to is either."

"Kid... Dust and grim are common knowledge. It's like you are from a different planet or living under a rock if you don't know any of that means ."

Shaking his head as he says that, I try to keep my face as blank as possible.

"What else do you remember before you were put into the coffin? Can you describe where this Nibelheim or Midgard is located in Remnant and what you were doing?"

After somehow inadvertently leading him to guess I'm from another world when I'm trying to avoid just that, I decide to play it safe. " Sorry but I don't know where they would be in Remnant and my last memories was being in bed recovering from a battle. "

Pausing for a moment as Garth thinks about my answer. He suddenly gets up and walks out of the room only to quickly returns with a very familiar large sword.

"We found this strapped to your back. Do you recognize this sword?"

Of course I recognize that sword. I'm the one who made it after all. It was my custom fusion sword based on my old trusty buster sword. I had poured hours into making it so that it was a perfect fusion of six swords that could be detached. To be honest I'm surprised he can lift it.

"Yes, that's my sword."

Placing it against the wall he comes back to ask me "Are you a huntsman?".

Huntsman? Based on the way he said it I'm guessing it has some sort of significance. Glancing back down at the sheathed katana by his waist I decide on a quick explanation for why I have a sword.

"No, I'm not a Huntsman... I'm a mercenary"

Frowning again at my answer he presses me for more information, " What exactly did you fight as a mercenary".

"Most the jobs I was hired for dealt with fighting and killing monsters. There was the odd escort or bandit extermination mission as well."

"If you were killing monsters then how can you not know what the Grim are?"

This lack of context for this world is killing me. As I stay silent trying to come up with a reply I'm saved by Elizabeth.

"Garth based on what Cloud has shared, I think Cloud has a serious case of Amnesia. Do you know how long you've been in that dust coffin or mine? Even after all this time the complete consequences of using dust is still a mystery. Let alone sleeping in a coffin made of dust stashed in a pile of raw dust crystals. It might have affected your memories".

She is wrong about the Amnesia and memory issues, but it provides the perfect excuse for why I am asking seemingly dumb obvious question moving forward. Also, having been once truly been amnesiac I know exactly how to behave as one.

"I'm sorry but... I honestly don't remember much about my life in Remnant."

"It's okay Cloud. We'll let you rest for now since you just woke up."

Elizabeth made eye contact with Garth and they both started to leave. Garth however stops just before the door and turned back to me to say, "We'll talk again later after you've rested a bit. I'll have more questions"

Nodding my head at him I watch as he closes the door. Spying a small mirror on the wall I slowly get up to see my own reflection.

* * *

_Before releasing me Aerith whispered into my ear, "One more thing Cloud. Consider it a gift from Planet Gaia but after the Lifestream healing you may find yourself being a bit younger than you are now. _

_This is to both heal you from your current injuries as well as the damage from your time being captive as an experiment."_

* * *

Looking back at me in the mirror is a much younger looking teenage Cloud Strife. No wonder Garth had been calling me a boy. Great, not only do I have crow wings on my back that I have to get used to but I also get to relive my awkward teenage years and deal with teenage hormones again.

* * *

"That Cloud boy is highly suspicious and I don't quite trust him"

I walk down the hall with Elizabeth into a separate room so that we can continue our conversation with each other privately. Letting her in first I close the door behind me before she starts sharing her thoughts.

"I can't disagree with you about Cloud being suspicious based on the circumstances that we found him. I've been living in this village for the last 5 years and I've never heard of either Nibelheim or Midgard that he mentioned. There isn't anything close by with those names. "

I reflect on the previous conversation with the boy, "He wasn't lying though when he a answered our questions... He might just be an amnesiac faunas boy with messed up memories." My years of experience and heightened sense from being a Cat-Faunus failed to give me the sense that he was lying.

What the boy had said was unbelievable regardless though. Either the boy's brain was scrambled from the dust or he had been in that coffin for hundreds of years for him to say that he did not know what dust or grim was. Out of the two scenarios the lightning dust causing memory issues was far more likely.

"Could Nibelheim or Midgard have been destroyed or overrun by Grim? We are pretty far away and on the outskirts of the kingdoms. It's not impossible that the reason why we don't know of those locations is simply because they don't exist anymore."

"That's a possible explanation. However, it doesn't explain the boy being inside of a coffin in the dust mines."

"Cloud said that his Geostigma sickness doesn't have a cure... They might have put him in that coffin because they thought he simply wouldn't be coming back. Perhaps when they placed him in the dust mine it collapsed and that's why he was buried there".

A sad but possible explanation. Living this far out on the outskirts of the Kingdom can make it difficult to have access to medical support. Sometimes there just isn't anything that you can do. Cloud did mention that he was recovering from a battle so he may have been delirious or unconscious when they chose to put in in the coffin. The dust mine had also been around longer than the village and the mine also has had multiple cave-ins throughout its history.

***CRASH***

Breaking the silence and shocking both out of their thoughts was a loud crash from outside the building. Immediately after the crash they could hear the warning gong from village bell ringing followed by Lawrence's voice shouting out, _**"Garth ! Some Grim have just broken through part of the wall into the village and heading towards you!"**_

Moving quickly and sprinting out of the building I pause when I hear the terrified cry of a little girl in the opposite direction behind the building. Turning around I see Elizabeth who had just caught up to me after grabbing her weapon turn pales as she whispers, " That's Carla's voice".

* * *

I sit back onto the bed as I try to come to terms with my unfamiliar body and present situation. My thoughts are interrupted by the clanging of the village bells and hear shouting about the Grim attacking. Unsure of what exactly to do I freeze on the bed. That is until I hear the scream of the little girl just outside the building. Hearing her voice I takes a moment to process it before I'm quickly reminded of my memories of taking care of a sweet little girl named Marlene with Tifa.

Realizing that there might be a little girl in danger I immediately leap into action and grab the fusion sword left on the wall and rush out of the building towards the sound of the scream. As I rocket out the door and into the yard I pause to take stock of the situation. Cowering on the floor I can see a small girl in a well-worn blue dress in the direct line of a black wolf like beast with red eyes and white bone plating protecting its body.

I dash forward and take advantage of the hours I spent customizing and perfecting my fusion sword features. I eject one of the larger blades from the six that make up my fusion sword that's practically the height and width of my body and hurl it so that it lands right in front of the girl and in the way of the of the black wolf as it leaps. The black wolf crashes into the flat side of the blade midway through its jump. Disoriented from the sudden collision I take full advantage of the situation and arrive to cleave the black wolf in half.

Quickly I retake my blade that was pierced into the ground and integrate it to complete my fusion sword. I take up a position in front of the girl and I prepare myself for the coming defensive. Scanning my surrounding I count the number of beast and see that there are three smaller wolves and one larger one that must be the leader and Alpha of the pack.

This is not a good combat situation for me at all. I can feel how weary my body is already with my heavy breathing and sweat dripping down my face. Compounding the issue is the fact that my whole body feels off balance. I haven't had any time to get used to the added weight from the pair of wings on my back, let alone the fact that my whole body is physically different because of my younger age. A heavy feeling starts to settle in my gut when I begin to feel the weight of my favorite sword. Maybe I shouldn't have reintegrated that blade and completed the fusion sword.

Luckily to my relief Garth and Elizabeth come around the corner of the building. Seeing the dire situation the pack of wolves start to circle me and the little girl, Garth rushes out to engage the larger beast. This surprises the Grim and ruins their plan to encircle me.

I watch as Garth dashes towards the largest grim and in one smooth and beautiful motion draws his katana and slashes upwards. A beautiful ring sounds out into air following Garth's blade followed by a spray of blood as the large beasts head is detached from the body. Continuing with his momentum Garth sides step to the left and swings his blade downwards to bisect one of the smaller wolves in the middle.

Completely entranced by Garth display of skill I fail to maintain my situational awareness. Noticing too late, I turn my right to see one of the two black wolves halfway in its leap towards me with its jaws open and ready to tear a chunk out of me. Only for me to wince when I hear an explosion to my side as Elizabeth's shotgun erupts and launches the wolf across the field. Quickly following the first shot Elizabeth dashes forward towards the last wolf to point-blank shoot it with her shotgun in its face before it has time to react.

Learning from my mistake I take a moment to quickly scan the immediate area for any remaining threats and see nothing as I watch the slain beasts evaporate into black ash. Feeling how spent my stamina is I fall on my ass and try to catch my breath. All of a sudden, I feel small arms wrap around my side and turn to see a small black haired girl who also happens to have cat-like ears hugging me tightly. Feeling someone's hand pressed on my shoulder I turn to see Elizabeth's smiling face as she says, "Thank you."

Resting back in the bed I was in before with Garth and Elizabeth I finally learn what kind of building I am in as it turns out it is both a small orphanage and clinic. As I listen to Garth's explanation about how the village bell is used as a warning system for everyone I can't help but think back to those Grim creatures called Beowolves. Looking at them and especially the larger one reminded me of the black wolves summoned during my first initial encounter with Kadaj's group. Even the way they evaporate into ash was eerily similar.

My attention is shifted back to Elizabeth as I hear her say, "Cloud you mentioned that you were a mercenary. To be honest it's pretty tough for Garth to protect the village we live in as he is our sole Huntsman. Living on the outskirts of the kingdoms is pretty difficult and our society here only functions by having everyone pitch in. Could you help by being a part of the village defensive militia against the grim?"

Garth scoffs at the idea that he needs help defending the village, "The little girl Carla said you saved her by killing one of the Beowolves. I can assume you have some skill with a sword. Tell me… were you ever part of any group called The White Fang ?"

I shake my head since I don't even recognize the name. However, I file it away as something to investigate more as I caught Elizabeth flinching in the periphery of my vision at the name.

"I'll believe you for now boy since you still don't have all your memories back. I'm willing to have you as a probationary member of our militia for now and we could see how things go."

Considering it for the moment, it wouldn't be a bad idea. I don't have anywhere else to go and I could use the opportunity to learn more about the world and figure out a plan for myself moving forward. Most likely though this was a way for Garth to keep a close eye on me as I'm sure he doesn't trust me quite yet.

As I quietly consider the offer Elizabeth helps seal the deal, "You can help us out until you either regain your memories or decide to leave us. Our village doesn't make too much but we could provide you with a small stipend for your services"

Nodding my head towards the both of them I reach out my hand to shake Garth's hand and seal the deal.

Watching me happily Elizabeth invites me to join them with the orphanage kids for dinner.

* * *

I discover that I don't have much of an appetite but try to eat as much as I can anyways. Carla see's me and runs up to me after dinner to introduce me to the other few kids. As I sit down with all of them I decide to impress the kids the same way I did with Denzel during our first meeting. Looking around I ask them, "Hey kids, do you want to see some magic ?".

Seeing the excited expressions from the small crowd around me I close my eyes and look into myself to draw upon my mana and use a spell. Briefly during the time I had for myself to rest before dinner I had checked to see if I had any materia equipped. Surprisingly although I couldn't find feel any materia I knew I still had access to some of the spell I frequently used during my journeys. I guess my usage of those spells had gotten to the point where I can cast it without needing the materia as support. Strangely though I found that my mana was recovering at a much slower and sluggish rate in Remnant compared to my time on Planet Gaia. Regardless I felt I had enough mana to cast a spell to impress the kids.

Holding my hand up I summon a small glowing orb of electricity. Looking around I could see the awe in the eyes of the children. Beginning to feel tired I cancelled the spell before any of the kids could reach out to touch it. Elizabeth came into our small crowd of kids just as I cancelled the spell. "That's a cool little trick Cloud but it's time for everyone to get ready for bed".

Feeling exhaustion hit me from the day I walk back to my room to get some rest myself.

* * *

**Author notes:**

**So I decided to make Cloud a faunas with wings as I think it will make for a more interesting story. I don't think its too far fetched because if you look at the games it wasn't just Sephiroth who had wings. The kingdom hearts version of cloud also give Cloud a wing as well. In addition both Angele and Gensis did as well. If you are curious about what Cloud looks like. However, I've decided that Cloud should have two of them as I think it's silly for them to only have one wing and be able to fly. In regards to Cloud outfit I'm basing it off of the same outfit he had in Kingdom Hearts with Vincent's claw gauntlet on his left hand and the red scarf.**

**Let me know what your thoughts and impressions of the story so far by leaving a review.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Giving up on getting more sleep I groggily get up to start my day.

When I climbed into bed last night I was exhausted from the events of the other day. Sadly, a good night's rest was not in store for me. Mostly because of the new addition of a pair of black wings as it made it impossible to lie comfortably on my back. Aaerith had mentioned before my journey that there would be some minor changes to my body when I arrived on Remnant. I fail to see how these pair of black wings on my back is just a minor change. Compounding the issue was that my Geostigma was beginning to flare up last night. The Geostigma symptoms wasn't as bad as before where it would ooze out black pus. Still, the feeling of the nerves in my body being electrocuted was still extremely painful. Aaerith said that Remnant could help me with my Geostigma issues when I arrived but so far I still didn't have a clue as to what she meant by that.

Another strange difference was that my mana was still barely recovering. Although I didn't have a great night's rest my mana should have recovered significantly by now. For now my augmented strength should still be adequate for defending myself if needed. Sighing to myself I started my morning stretches to work out the numbness and tiredness from the night.

Getting dressed I stop and took a look at the equipment that I'm pretty sure had belonged to Vincent. Staring at the golden claw gauntlet reminded me of how Vincent had been like an older wiser brother to me during our adventures together. He was a good friend for whenever I needed advice. I equipped my left arm with his golden claw gauntlet and put on Vincent's signature red tattered cape that wraps around my neck like a scarf, allowing me to cover up most of the visible symptoms of Geostigma before walking out to join everyone for breakfast.

Walking into the dining room I get treated to the chaos that is kids eating breakfast. As I take a seat at the table a smiling Elizabeth places a plate of breakfast in front of me.

"Good morning Cloud. How are you feeling this morning ?"

"I'm fine"

The doubtful look on her face tells me she thinks otherwise as she eyes the Geostigma symptoms that aren't quite covered underneath by my scrappy red cape or gauntlet on my left arm. I guess the exhaustion on my face is also fairly evident from my lack of quality sleep. Buttering a slice of bread and taking a bite I notice that I still don't have much of an appetite even though I didn't eat that much the day before. Taking a seat across from me, Elizabeth starts to eat her own breakfast as well.

"Cloud you haven't had a chance to tour the village. Garth will be coming this morning to pick you up and take you around so you can familiarize yourself.

That's great, I'm looking forward to touring the village and seeing how things are different from where I was from. Hearing the pitter patter of tiny feet, Carla runs into the room to join us for a late breakfast. Sitting down in the empty seat beside me Carla immediately grabs a slice of toast, slathers it with a heavy dose of strawberry jam and devours it messily. Chuckling at her manners I grab a napkin and wipe off the strawberry jam on Carla lips. In return for helping Carla with that, I get treated to a look of surprise on her face as she just notices that I'm sitting beside her.

Blushing at my action she whispers, "Good morning Cloud".

"Saving some strawberry jam for later Carla?"

Elizabeth laughs at the interaction between me and Carla. "The kids loved your magic trick last night Cloud. I wouldn't have guessed that you would be so good with kids. Do you have family or siblings that you remember?"

As I watch Carla eat her breakfast beside me her mannerism reminds me of my mornings with Marlene and Tifa. "No, I don't have any siblings that I'm aware of. My mother passed away when I was younger. However, I did live with and take care of an orphaned girl and boy that I considered my family, so I guess that's how I learned to get along with kids. "

"Oh, are you starting to get your memories back?"

Freezing as I realize my mistake, I quickly shake my head. "No, I only remember bits and pieces of my life before". As I finish my breakfast and wait for Garth to arrive, I decide to get up and help clean the dishes. Elizabeth joins me by my side after she finishes her breakfast to help me quietly clean up the breakfast aftermath.

I decide to ask Elizabeth about how she met Garth.

While we are rinsing and drying plates together, " I met Garth when my mother brought him to our clinic a few years ago. My mother was a healer and found Garth out in the woods seriously injured while she was on a trip to gather supplies for the village. Since then Garth has stayed and helped protect our village. Being so far away from the Kingdom we are lucky to have a Huntsman like Garth. Grim attacks are common enough that Huntsman are in high demand and to be honest it would be easy for Garth to find someplace that could give him more".

I start wondering if there is more to the story and why Garth decided to stay here. Putting the last dish on the drying rack and turning off the tap I start thinking about my own future. As a starting point I should begin by familiarizing myself with the basics of Remnant so I ask Elizabeth whether the village has a bookstore or library I can visit.

"Actually, I'm about to start class and teach the few kids here in the village. If you'd like I can show you our small library of books that you can take a look at. Maybe reading through some of them might help with recovering your memory."

Perfect. Agreeing to her suggestion she leads me to a room that has shelves stocked with books. Grabbing a book to take a look I quickly come to realize a sad truth. Seeing my expression Elizabeth ask me, "What's wrong Cloud?".

Feeling a bit embarrassed, "Err.. I can't actually read any of this.".

Smiling back at me, " Well I guess you'll be joining me and the kids in the future in class then. I'm sure you'll make class more exciting for everyone".

Hearing a few knocks on the door Garth finally arrives.

"Get your stuff boy I'm going to take you on a tour of the village". Nodding my head I say goodbye to Elizabeth before I go to grab my sword so we can set off.

* * *

Walking through the village I find that it's about the same size as Nibelheim except it has a wooden wall that encompasses the entirety of the village for protection. Garth leads us at a casual pace towards the part of the wall where the breach that allowed the Grim to come in had occurred.

"Tell me Cloud who taught you how to use a sword?"

Thinking about what I could share with him, " I remember going to combat school for the basics. Most of my skills have been self-taught but I've been fortunate enough to be given advice and mentored by people who had entered a military solider program."

"Just to be sure, did they teach you about using your Aura? What about Semblance?"

Seeing my questioning face, he sighs before explaining Aura and Semblance to me and how all Huntsman have it as well as its importance when it comes to protection in a fight.

As he explains what Aura is, I begin to understand how combat is different in Remnant. Back in my world there really wasn't any equivalent to the defensive power of Aura. Here Aura could be used to block damage of all types as long as you had it. Aura existed back on Planet Gaia as well but it was much weaker. Every warrior who learn to fight developed a small aura that worked to protect you and minimize damage. It was why guns weren't the ultimate weapon and you had swordsman like myself and Sephiroth who weren't afraid to rush down gun users or take a few gunshots. Unlike in Remnant though, the basic aura from my world only stopped the damage from being immediately fatal. A gunshot or slash from a sword could still pierce or hurt you unlike Remnant's Aura where you wouldn't be wounded until you ran out of it. I'll have to be more careful avoiding and defending against attacks.

Semblance is interesting with the closest equivalent from my world being the attacks and abilities granted through Limit breaks. However once again there is a significant difference where Limit breaks required that you slowly charge and build it up during battle whereas Semblance could be freely used.

"I didn't see you fight yesterday kid but I did feel your aura. If you feel up for it later this afternoon we should have a short spar so I can see what you can do and whether you qualify to be a hired as paid mercenary in our village militia."

A sparing match would be a good way to gauge how my skills compare against others in Remnant. However I'll decide on that later in the afternoon as I was still feeling tired and had yet to feel comfortable with my younger body.

"Tell me more about Nibelheim where you grew up in Cloud"

"I remember that Nibelheim is actually pretty similar to this Village. I still can't point out where it existed on a map but it doesn't really matter. Nibelheim was burned down to the ground because of an accident so it's probably why you've never heard of it."

"Damn you have my sympathy kid. It's a sad world we live in and unfortunately villages getting destroyed is always a possibility out here".

Turning the corner on the street I can see the breach in the wall.

"Garth can you tell me more about the Grim and Huntsman?"

Unfortunately, Garth couldn't share any real meaningful information regarding the Grim beside the fact that they had been around for as long as civilization could remember. However, I do find the fact that Grim are attracted to negative emotions as strange and unexpected for beasts. Otherwise, monsters existed back in my world as well and villages had to be wary of attacks too.

Hearing how society views Huntsman and Huntresses as heroes and the fact that they go to combat school makes me realize that they must be the equivalent of Planet Gaia's Elite SOLDIERS program. Huntsman are meant to protect and defend civilization.

"I guess I should also explain dust and it's usage to you as well."

Listening to his explanation on dust, I begin to understand why Garth was so suspicious of me when I had said I didn't know what the Grim, Dust or Huntsman were. Turns out the world of Remnant is run on Dust usage and as a result Dust is in constant demand. The demand for Dust is what allows the village here to prosper and attracts temporary mine workers who want to earn more. Some of these temporary workers end up deciding to stay and over time this is how the village had been created. It's also the reason why this village is called Lightning keep because of the lightning dust mine.

"The dust mine here is fairly old as well as small but that is what keeps the government and larger businesses from coming to claim the mine and take it over. Not worth their effort. Still, even if it is a small mine there is enough opportunity for those here in the village to make a living out of it."

Hearing a commotion on the other side of the street I notice a man that has what looks like deer antlers on his head running a produce stall. He is being yelled at by another man and causing a scene. I see Garth frown before quickly changing direction and moving towards them.

"What kind of price is this?! For food of this quality I'm paying you enough already."

"I'm not overcharging you sir. This is the standard market price that everyone charges"

Scowling at the man with deer antlers reply, "And I'm telling you that what I'm paying you is better than what a Faunas like you deserves."

I watch as the man with deer antlers tries not to escalate the situation further but fails to get through to the other man. Interrupting the both of them, Garth walks in between the two. Standing beside the man with deer antlers Garth stares down the other man, "What's going on here?".

Listening to the explanation of the man with deer antlers, Garth quickly settles the issue and confirms that the price charged is fair. Clearly unhappy with the situation the man pays for the produce and leaves in a huff. With the situation taken care of, me and Garth resume our journey.

"Cloud you need to remember that sometimes being different leads to situations like that. Not all humans will treat a faunas like you fairly because of your more animal traits. This is because previously there was a war between humans and faunas that really put a strain on relations. By law everyone should be treated equally but not everyone has let go of their hate. Lightning keep usually doesn't have any issues dealing with discrimination, but we get new mine workers all the time who are exactly like that guy you saw before".

I can see that the whole affair had really ruined Garth's mood so the rest of our journey was silent without conversation. Arriving at the breach a man quickly comes up to greet Garth.

* * *

"Hey Garth, we are in the process of patching up the hole in the wall." Noticing me standing beside Garth he turns to look at me curiously.

"Garth is this the vampire from the lightning dust mine ? I thought vampires can't stand outside in the sun."

I know I'm pretty pale but this is the first time someone has called me a vampire to my face. Garth chuckles beside me, "Lawrence the kid ain't a vampire. His name is Cloud Strife and he might be a probationary member on our village militia. Cloud this is Lawrence and he helps me with running the defenses around here."

Seeing Lawrence reach out an open hand, I cautiously shake his hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you Cloud and see that your not a vampire or monster. Odd choice of a place to take a nap. Not sure I would choose to sleep in a coffin in a dust mine of all places. Let me know if you ever have any questions about the village."

Nodding at what he has to say Lawrence quickly informs us that he wants to get back to directing the crew of villagers in fixing the wall. Some guards had notice Grim activity outside.

Garth begins to share more about the village defense and the people in the militia. I quickly realize that Garth is the only huntsman in the village and warrior who has received any sort of combat training. Everyone else in the militia had been trained by Garth on the rudimentary basics and little to no experience fighting. The conversation is interrupted by screaming at the wall breach.

"**WATCH OUT! WE GOT SOME BEOWOLVES RUSHING IN!"**

Standing up we both look over to see some of the black wolves rush through and dash into the village. Reacting quickly, the militia members around the breach form up a line to stop anymore monsters from coming through. Lawrence turns to look at us and yell that they can maintain the defense at the wall but Garth and myself should take care of the three that were able to get into the village. Garth nods in agreement with the decision, "Follow me kid, those Beowolves are heading to where we store the lightning dust crystals."

As we arrive in the area and see the three Beowolves, Garth suddenly takes a step back to stand behind me.

"Kid I want to see what you can do. I'll watch your back and step-in if I feel that you're in danger but otherwise I want you to take care of the three of them".

Taking stock of the situation I can feel that my mana is still too low for me to use any spells. Based on my experiences fighting grim yesterday, my enhanced strength should be more than enough. Besides, I've been in more difficult monster fighting situations in the past so these Beowolves should actually be pretty good practice and help me in getting comfortable with my body again.

I unlatch my fusion sword from my back and hold it in front of me with two hands. As I slowly advance I can feel my adrenaline pumping and I fall into a familiar state of mind as I begin to analyze the combat situation. Taking in the battlefield I identify that there is a black wolf to my left, front and to the right. Letting the three of them surround me would be completely disadvantageous as it allows them to potentially attack me from outside my field of view. In this situation I decide the best course of action is to take the initiative and avoid the potential for encirclement. Taking a deep breath to oxygenate my body and muscles as much as possible, I immediately dash to the black wolf on my right as I exhale.

Exploding forward I move into range and swing down my fusion sword towards the head of the black wolf. Reacting and moving faster than I expected, the monster leaps to the side to avoid my strike. Lifting my sword up I adjust my grip and dash towards the black wolf again. This time as I swing down, I watch the monster closely to see it tense up right before it leaps to the side in order to avoid my overhead strike again. Reacting quickly, I take a quick step in the same direction the wolf leaped in and adjust the direction of my swing. The change in my swing results in a solid connection as I feel the impact of my blade as it smashes the wolf into the ground and crushing it.

Quickly I dash to the right to create some space between me and the other two remaining wolves that I had ignored. I see them both running towards me as I expected. Seems like they are trying to take advantage of me through attacking me at the same time. Using the same tactic from yesterday I eject one of the larger blades in my fusion sword so that I can hurl it at the black wolf to my left. The thrown sword doesn't pierce through the wolf but successful achieves my goal of staggering it so that I am still just fighting one beast at a time.

Learning from my previous experience with the first wolf I just killed, I eject out a smaller blade from my fusion sword and switch to a dual wielding stance. I wait for the first wolf to reach me and let it leap towards me to bite me. As soon as the monster launches itself into the air I dodge to my left and swing a counter strike that slices it in half. Not stopping my movement I immediately step to the right just as I see the last wolf do the same leap attack and slice it in half using the sword in my other hand.

I take one last look around the area before I put my fusion sword back together and let myself catch my breath. Taking a look at Garth I can see that he looks quite surprised.

"Pretty good kid. I have to say I've never seen a sword like yours where it becomes a bunch of smaller swords. I guess it won't be a problem for you to be a part of our militia. Since we are here let me show you what Lightning dust crystals look like and you can also take a look at the Coffin that we found you in".

Putting back together the fusion sword I attached it to my back as we walk into the dust storage buildings.

* * *

At the very entrance of the building is the familiar sight of Vincent's Coffin. Taking a closer look at it I don't see the Time, Lightning and Cure materia that was supposed to be embedded into it so that I could travel to Remnant.

"Kid we also found this inside the coffin. I thought I'd hold onto it as I wasn't sure you would know how to use it but seeing how you dealt with the Beowolves I think you'll be fine."

Placing the object into my hand I discover that it's Vincent's gun, Cerberus. A beautifully crafted triple barreled handgun that packs a very mean punch. Holding it in my hand I'm touched that Vincent would gift this to me as I know how much he valued it. Holstering it for now we move on further into the building.

Looking around the building I can see that most of the dust crystals is packed away securely in crates.

"Dust can be highly volatile so we don't keep any out in the open. Be careful with it." Cracking open a case he grabs a lightning dust crystal and passes it to me.

Taking a closer examination of the yellow crystal a strange feeling goes over me. As I hold it in my hand, I can't help but feel that it seems similar to materia but it also reminds me of the lifestream. Perhaps dust is just another form of materia or physical form of the Lifestream? I then feel a sudden craving and a haze go over my mind.

Seeing the expression on my face Garth yells out, "Cloud stop ! What are you -"

Before Garth can stop me I put the lightning dust crystal in my mouth and swallow it. It causes an immediate reaction in my body as I feel the energy contained in the lightning dust crystal disperse. A very comfortable warmth develops in my core and starts to spreads outwards throughout my body. Feeling the haze on my mind lift I check my body once over to see if anything has changed. The first thing I notice right away is that I feel rejuvenated, as if someone had just cast a full power cure on my body.

"Kid are you feeling okay?! I'm surprised you're not dead. You're not supposed to eat dust crystals !"

"I'm not sure what happen to me Garth. I couldn't stop myself but I don't feel anything wrong at the moment. In fact.. I feel a lot better than before."

Garth quickly grabs me to do his own check and while doing so he all of a sudden stop when he looks at my left arm. Lifting my red cape covering my left arm I'm shocked that the Geostigma blemishes have lighten and mostly disappeared. As our eyes connect, he also suddenly pauses once again.

"Kid your eyes are practically glowing green… I'm taking you back to Elizabeth's for a check up. This isn't normal".

As we rush back to the clinic at Elizabeth I think back to what Aertih had said. She told me that the Lifestream would take me to where I would find help for my Geostigma. Pondering it for a bit and thinking about how I was found embedded in a stash of Lightning dust crystals, I realize then that Aaerith might have meant it quite literally.

Arriving back at the clinic Elizabeth gives me a full check-up immediately after hearing what happen. She concludes that nothing is significantly wrong with me after eating the Lightning dust crystal.

Elizabeth looks at me with a disbelieving face, "Are you sure you don't feel as if anything is wrong Cloud?"

Nodding my head back at her, "I feel great actually. Nothing is wrong at all and I can feel the pain from Geostigma is a lot less now." For the first time since I've arrived in Remnant I also feel that mana is close to being fully recovered. Standing up I start to stretch my body after being forced to lie down all this time so that Elizabeth can check me over. Walking over to the mirror on the wall as I stretch, I see that my eyes really do look like they are glowing. I'm not bothered by my glowing eyes too much. I've had glowing eyes as a result of mako infusion experimentation done by Hojo for years.

At that moment, I notice one new difference as I stretch. It's that my wings feel a lot more responsive. Stretching them out to their full length I find that moving them doesn't have the same sluggishness that was there before. Concentrating on my wings for a bit I inject some of my mana into them. As I fold my wings to everyone's shock, they disappear completely and dissolve into ash like substance. Pausing for a moment I concentrate on injecting mana into my wings again and they reappear by bursting out of my back.

Looking at both Elizabeth and Garth I can tell they have no idea what to say.

* * *

**Author notes**

**I'm not looking to make Cloud overpowered. I'm also planning on not giving Cloud Aura like all the other characters in RWBY. Cloud will be more easily hurt but he has his larger variety of skills and magic to keep him dangerous. Regardless, watching the fight scenes in Advent children and Crisis core show that that Final Fantasy characters fight as if they have Aura anyways.**

**I know that most faunas can't hide their animal traits. However Sephiroth, Angeal and Gensis all have the ability to hide and open up their wings. I thought I might as well give Cloud the same ability as I'm sure they get in the way. Besides I think it'll make for more interesting situations as people mistaken believe that he is pure human.**

**Next chapter will have more actions as it'll be Garth testing Cloud's combat capabilities.**

**Please leave me a review !**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_At the Clinic in Lightning Keep_

"Most Faunus can't hide their animal traits..."

As I experiment with my new ability to hide my black wings and watch them disappear into black ash I finally hear Garth break the silence that had come over our little group when I shocked everyone with the reveal of this new ability.

"Well there are faunas with retractable claws which isn't too uncommon. Perhaps Cloud's wings function in a similar way?", Elizabeth adds to conversation in response to Garth's statement. "Though the way in which your wings seems to disintegrate is highly unusual..."

I could hear Elizabeth voice ooze with uncertainty and confusion. Thinking to myself for a moment on how to explain it I decide it's better to maintain silence and let them speculate to themselves. I leave my wings out since everyone knows me for having them.

"Well Cloud seems to be completely fine for now. We can have another check-in tonight or tomorrow to see if there any issues. However, I need to go check up on the militia members who were injured during this afternoon's small Grim attack."

Grimacing at hearing there were militia members who were injured Garth asked Elizabeth, "How many of those fools were injured?".

"Only two of them received injuries. One of them should recover with no problems but the other got a nasty bite. His time in the militia might be over at this point".

As I look at the somber expression both Garth and Elizabeth have, I think about how they've helped me since I got here. The two of them are good people in my eyes. This could be an opportunity for me to give back to them and show that I can contribute. Turning to face them both I tell them, "I can help heal them".

Looking at me questioningly I think about how to explain that I've recovered enough mana to use the cure spell.

"Since eating the Lightning Dust Crystal, I can feel that my ... Aura has recovered quite a bit. I have a skill that I could use to provide some healing".

Elizabeth smiles back in surprise, "That's interesting! We'll let's see what you can do".

Following Elizabeth into the larger clinic room I see the two injured militia members. One man looks to have broken an arm while the other has his torso heavily bandaged with red dying the white cloth. Walking with Elizabeth we go to one with the heavy injury. As I examine the person in front of me, I see that it's a teenage boy who is ghastly pale and in heavy pain. Feeling both Elizabeth and my presence the teenage boy open's his eyes.

Elizabeth looks into his eyes with a kind smile, " I'd like to introduce you to Cloud. He said he has an ability that could help you with your injury. Would it be alright if he tries?".

I watch as the teenage boy closes his eyes and nods his head slowly.

Reaching out my hand to hover over his injury I close my eyes and focus. Yesterday I was able to cast the spell without the aid of materia. Cure was a spell that I was sadly extremely familiar with as a result of being a close-up fighter. I should be able to cast cure without materia aid. Focusing my mana based on how I used to cast cure I can feel a familiar sensation and open my eyes to see my hand coated with green energy. Trying not to let the cure spell disperse I press my hand on his wound and start funneling my mana into the teenager.

Elizabeth and Garth closely observe the process and watch as color returns to the injured boys face and his expression relaxes as he falls asleep. A few moments later I'm done casting the cure spell and feel the exhaustion of having a quarter of my mana drained away to cast cure.

Casting cure was more difficult than I remember. Without the aid of materia it was far more inefficient and I could tell that the restorative power wasn't as strong. Still I can see that it was helping him recover.

Elizabeth looked at the teenage boy lost in thought, "That's an amazing ability Cloud... We don't have a proper hospital or good equipment here so your healing ability could make a big difference here at Lightning Keep and for the militia. How many times can you use that ability?".

Dropping down into a chair before responding, "I think only one or two more times at most. Using that ability takes a lot out of me."

Garth than threw in his opinion, "We'll take what we can get kid. Sounds like you'll be a valuable part of helping keep the idiots in the militia stay alive. Would smaller injuries take less out of you?"

Shaking my head, "No, it'll cost the same regardless of what kind of injury it is".

"That's fine, a life saved is a life saved. If their dumb enough to get hurt than they can let it heal naturally to learn from their mistake unless it's fatal. I know I mentioned it earlier that we would spar today. Are you still feeling up for it? You could rest for now and I'll come get you later. "

Nodding my head, "Yea I should be good for sparing if I get to rest for a bit". Getting up I exit the room to walk towards my room.

* * *

As I walk down the hall back to my room I feel a slight tug on my red cape. Looking down I see Carla looking back up at me. I can see that she is nervous so I smile back at her and can see her tension ease a little bit. A few moments pass by as I watch her build up her courage to ask me her question.

"Can you... show me that magic from last night again?"

Seeing her hopeful eyes, I find myself unable to deny her request, "Sure but we should do it somewhere private".

Beaming from hearing that I've agreed to her request she grabs my hand before tugging me away, "I'll take you to my favorite place. Come with me!".

We leave the building and she leads me to a forest that is within the walls of the Village. Walking through the clearing past the tree's I get treated to the sight of a small beautiful flower garden. Carla tugs on my hand and eventually we take a seat on the grass. Taking in the area and the cascade of colors from the flowers I instantly think of when I found myself in a similar flower bed when I initially met Aaerith.

As I end my happy reminiscing I turn to see Carla patiently waiting beside me to show her some magic. Looking at her I see that she can't hide any of the excitement from appearing on her face. I chuckle at myself and wonder if that was what I looked like as a boy when I was about to see magic for the first time. Opening up my hands I cast the small Bolt spell from yesterday to create a ball of electric light for her to see. I let her stare at it for a few moments before cancelling it. Frowning a bit when she see's me cancel the spell, she falls back to sprawl out on the grass and look up at the blue sky.

Carla is wearing the same outfit I saw during Grim Attack, a well worn blue dress. Looking down I see that one of her knees are bandaged. "Carla what happen to your knee?".

Freezing up at the question she stay's silent for a moment before quietly voicing, "I fell down when the Grim was chasing me".

I take a moment to consider what I'm about to do before I focus my mana to cast cure and heal Carla's injured knee. She squeaks out in surprise when she sees my hand glowing green. Reaching out I press my hand on her injured knee and funnel my mana into her wound. As the cure spell works on healing Carla's knees she starts giggling, "That really tickles!".

Putting some authority into my voice I tell her to hold still. Releasing the spell, I feel another quarter of my mana drain. To be honest I used a lot of mana to heal a rather minor injury. Looking at the flowers though I feel that it was the right thing to do. I'm confident that it would be what both Aerith and Tifa would have chosen to do. I flop onto my back to relax like Carla is and as we lay there together I feel my stress melt away.

Since I've gotten Geostigma I've been trying my best to avoid thinking about my future. After all, all those who had Geostigma when there was no cure didn't have a pleasant ending. Their body would fall apart from the inside leading to an agonizing and painful death. The stress on my mind from Geostigma was only exacerbated when I arrived in Remnant and I heard that Elizabeth has never heard of Geostigma. Especially when I felt the symptoms worsen during the night. Now however it turns out that the Lightning Dust Crystals may be the solution to managing Geostigma and I was hoping that maybe it could get rid of it.

For the first time in a long time I find that I can relax a bit. There isn't any immediate threat that is going to end the world. I have no known enemies in Remnant after me. I can live without any worries.

Breaking me out of my thoughts, Carla suddenly pokes me and ask, "Are you an angel?".

Bewildered by her sudden question I realize after a moment that it's probably because of my wings. "No Carla, I'm just a regular person".

Pausing for a moment from my answer I see her look away before asking me again, "Does the goddess exist?".

Clearly there is something on Carla's mind causing her to ask these questions. Maybe it's just her way of dealing with yesterdays Grim attack? To be honest I'm at a bit of lost for what to say to her since comforting people with words has never been my strong point. That and the fact that I have no idea what the Goddesses she referring to are and any of the religions or beliefs of the people in Remnant.

Venturing into unknown territory, "What makes you ask Carla ?".

Carla sat up a bit and wrapped her arms around her knees, "I'm here because my mom died... One time when me and my mom were praying to the goddesses I ask her what she was praying for. My mom told me that she was praying to the Goddesses for them protect me. During that Grim attack you came in and saved me."

Hearing that Carla's mom has passed on I feel myself sympathizing with her situation. I remember how devastated I was when I discovered that my own mother had been killed by Sephiroth. I stay silent as I let Carla gather herself to continue her story.

"My mom died protecting me from bad men who wanted to take me away. If you were an angel that would mean that the goddesses exist. I was going to pray to the goddess for them to give me my mom back".

As she starts to cry, I start thinking about what to do in this situation. What would Aerith or Tifa do? Those two were the best people I knew when it comes to handling children. I only contemplate for a moment more before I reach out and wrap Carla in an awkward hug. Feeling her wrap her tiny arms around me in response, I rub her back as she begins to calm down.

Mumbling into my chest quietly, "Cloud... If I'm in trouble in the future. Could you come save me again?".

Hearing Carla speak those words, for a moment what I see isn't Carla but a memory of Tifa during my childhood. Remembering the moment in my past where both me and Tifa were just two kids living in a small village called Nibelheim. As me and Tifa both stared up at the starry sky that night I bragged and tried to impress Tifa on how I was going to be a hero. Tifa who was my crush at the time and looking beautiful in in her blue dress turned to look at me before asking,

"_Cloud... If I'm ever in a bind. Will you come save me ?"._

Looking back down at Carla's teary face I give her the assurance she needs at the moment with confidence,

"I will".

_***Ahem***_

Turning around towards the source of the sound I see Garth and Elizabeth looking at the both of us with amusement. "Sorry to interrupt kid, but you feeling good enough for our spar?".

* * *

_In the forest_

Changing location for our spar, we move into the forest to avoid damaging anything in the village and to keep out of sight. We were in a fairly flat clearing with tree's spread randomly throughout the area as obstacles. Carla had returned home and now there was only myself, Garth and Elizabeth with a first aid kit.

Garth walks towards the center of the field, "Hope your ready kid. Elizabeth will be here to help with any injuries and she'll call a stop to the match if she thinks things are getting out of hand. I'm ready whenever you are".

I unlatch my fusion sword from my back and channel mana to remove the wings on my back so that I can have the mobility that I'm most familiar with. I only have half of my mana but since this is a spar it should be enough.

Taking a deep breath I start focusing on the fight and feel my mind settle into a combat state. I also start the process of preparing to use a Limit break later and begin the process of accumulating the needed mana.

As Garth and I both scrutinize each other I examine his katana. I remind myself that I need to be cautious because of the difference in defensive capabilities of Aura users in Remnant and my world. I tighten my grip on my large fusion sword as I think about the difference between the both of our weapons.

Giant swords like the one I prefer to use are fantastic monster slaying weapons. It's not uncommon for me to fight against large beasts, monsters with hard scales or thick leather like skin that's difficult for normal blades to penetrate through. The weight, size and length of giant swords allow for a much easier time dealing damaging wounds to monsters. However in duels like this they have obvious weaknesses.

The size of giant swords makes it easy for the opponent to predict the trajectory of the blade. Furthermore, the weight of the blade makes it difficult to reset back to an optimal ready position. Having fought with giant swords all my life I've developed a style that allows me to fight effectively against others, focusing on brute strength and speed. The longer length of my fusion sword compared to Garth's katana should allow me to be able to strike safely outside of his range. However, if he is able to close into his striking range for his katana I'll be at a disadvantage as I'll lose power from not being able to fully swing my sword.

Seeing as he said he was ready whenever I dash forward to make the first strike. I stop just at the edge of my sword range, raise up my sword before swinging it down in an overhead strike. Garth is prepared for my attack, side-stepping to avoid it before taking a step forward to get in range for his own attack. Knowing that my first attack should be easy to dodge, I take an immediate step away from Garth before my Sword even hits the ground. Swinging my sword horizontally I force Garth to abort his attempt to close in and he moves back to safely avoid my attack. Dashing forward again I use a thrust this time to try and pierce through Garth.

Moving faster than before, Garth twirls away while unsheathing his katana and striking out at the side of my sword with it. I feel the strength of his sword strike as it is strong enough redirect my sword and I'm left unbalanced. Seeing an opportunity, he thrust his blade at my chest. Twisting my body, I awkwardly avoid the pointed strike. Not letting up his attack Garth throws a series of thrusts at me as I bob and weave out of the way.

To disrupt his attack I lift up the fusion sword in front of me. Covering most of my body with the sword width, it acts as a sheild for me and I charge at him.

***CLANG***

I hear the sound and feel the hit of his katana as it clashes with the flat side of the fusion sword. I power through it and bash Garth and send him several steps back. Switching back into my normal two handed grip, Garth and me are both back to the same ready position we had during the start of the duel.

"Not too bad kid. You got some strength to be able to swing that hard and move that fast with the blade you have. Let's get a bit more serious".

_Fast! _With a blur of moment Garth appears in front of me and swings his sword down in a diagonal cut. I shift my sword to block his attack only to feel myself stagger from the strength he put behind the attack. For a few moments I'm forced to constantly play defensive as he pushes me back with his strength swing after swing. Taking a deeper step back to make some space, I channel mana to my eyes to improve my sight and quickly attack with a horizontal swing. Once again, I see Garth avoid the swing by stepping back and I can now clearly see him blur into movement and appear at my side swinging a strike down targeting my head. This time not caught unprepared I raise my blade up to block it and throw out a fast low kick into Garth's chest to push him back.

While Garth tumbles backwards and recovers I take the time to prepare a support spell for myself. Garth must be somehow increasing his speed with Aura and it's making it hard to deal with him as he is easily closing the distance gap between us. Just as Garth is about to dash forward at me again, I finish casting **Haste **on myself. I feel my heart rate instantly double and I dash forward at the same time as Garth. Not expecting my increase in speed Garth is caught off guard by my horizontal swing. With no time to doge the attack, Garth raises his blade to block my strike directly. As a result of me putting all my strength into that swing Garth is sent flying across the field. Recovering quickly Garth stands up and analyzes me seriously for a moment.

"That was unexpected kid. I hope you're ready for what's next.".

**Haste **is a great ability that improves my combat capabilities but also has the problem of putting significant stress on my body. It also won't last forever. As I move in to begin our next duel I notice that Garth's sword has begun to glow. Ignoring the glow for the moment I test his blade by swinging down a strike only to see Garth raise his katana up to block directly. I'm shocked that he would directly block and the fact that his katana looks like it took no damage from my heavy blade. I then realize that he must be using his Aura to reinforce his blade somehow.

No longer focusing on completely dodging my attacks, Garth begins to mix in counters and blocks into his strikes. The next few moments the air is filled with the sound of our blades as they are swung and clash directly with one another. We never stay in one spot for too long as I constantly try to re-position to where I can attack out of his range and he tries to get in close to nullify my advantage. As we are missed strikes slowly tear up the area fighting in, I can feel that I'm slowly losing our exchange. Small cuts appear on my body as pierces through my defense. On the reverse, my glancing strikes on Garth show no physical wounds as his Aura defends him completely.

Suddenly I find myself backed into a tree. Garth's recent series of attacks took all of my awareness to defend against and he had successfully re-positioned me to limit my movement options. I see him smirk at me thinking that he has me trapped.

Waiting for him to close the distance I enact my plan to end the spar. Having slowly built up my limit break since the start of the battle I choose this moment to unleash _**Finishing Touch. **_A limit break strike that uses concussive energy to blow the opponent away.

Seeing that Garth has committed to his attack I activate my limit break and channel the mana into my fusion sword. Stepping forward towards Garth with determination I swing my sword to clash directly with him. Let's see if Garth will still be smiling after this.

Immediately to his surprise, erupting along with my sword swing is the concussive energy from my Limit break. It smashes into Garth and sends him flying back once again and gives me space to implement the next steps of my plan. Attaching the fusion sword back onto my back I grab my triple barreled handgun Cerberus and target Garth as I run towards him. Channeling mana into the gun I feel the click signifying that its ready and pull the trigger repeatedly to hear several explosions. Watching Garth closely I see that he is skilled enough to deflect several of the gun shots by Cerberus but witness his Aura defense tank the last shot disorienting Garth.

Holstering my gun, I follow up by channeling my mana into my favorite offense magic spell **Bolt**. Pointing my open palm at Garth I feel electrical energy built up before being its launched out as a magical lightning bolt strike. An explosion of dust appears when the **Bolt **reaches Garth. My goal was to stun him with the electrical attack and create an opportunity to deliver the winning blow. Only for my plan to fall apart as I find myself falling down half-way to Garth.

Landing on the ground on my hands my body erupts in crippling pain and exhaustion while my two black wings unfurl themselves on my back. Once the pain eases I look up to see Garth standing unharmed from my bolt spell.

Seeing me down on the ground, "Kid I think we can call an end to the spar for now.".

Elizabeth rushes over to me to check my condition followed by Garth, "Cloud let me check you over".

As I sit there and let Elizabeth check up on me I notice that I've almost bottomed out on mana. I guess I used too many spells today. "Cloud your arm...".

Feeling the pain in my left arm I look at what Elizabeth is staring at to see that my Geostigma is acting up. The main difference this time is that it is much worse and I can see black ooze coming out of the edges of the gauntlet covering my arm.

Frowning at the dark splotches on my skin, "Garth can you or someone go get us a Lightning dust crystal ?If it helped Cloud before maybe it'll help again. This is enough fighting for one day so let's head back".

* * *

_Back at the Clinic_

Eating another Lightning Dust Crystal I feel the energy disperse and a comfortable warmth spread throughout my body as my mana begins to recover. Watching me closely during the whole process is Elizabeth and Garth.

"How do you feel Cloud ?"

Raising my red cape up and looking at my left arm I see the Geostigma lighten and recede. "I feel a lot better actually. Seems like running out of ... Aura causes my Geostigma to grow worse."

Elizabeth looking exasperated, "Well you better be careful with your abilities then and avoid using up all your Aura. Jeez, hearing that you eat Dust Crystals and seeing you actually do it are two different things. Well I'm glad we sort of have a solution for your Geostigma though I'm not sure eating more Lightning Dust Crystals will cure you of it".

"Kid you are one of the strangest people I have ever met." Staring at me after watching me eat another Lightning Dust crystal without blowing up. A few moments later Garth follows up with "So is your Semblance something that has to do with electricity? Originally, I thought your Semblance was healing. What was that attack you used to blow me away?"

Running some possible answers through my mind, "I don't really know what my Semblance is. I just knew how to do those attacks when I needed it". Best to play dumb as the amnesiac.

"Perhaps your Semblance has something to do with electricity? I mean you eat Lightning Dust Crystals after all. Maybe your healing ability is just creating a static field that promotes recovery?", Elizabeth remarked and speculated.

Observing Garth, I see him narrowing his eyes in contemplation, "Well maybe you'll figure it out later. Regardless, it's highly unusually for anyone to have more than one Semblance. Kid, I suggest you don't broadcast your abilities unless you want to attract the wrong kind of attention.".

At this moment I'm truly grateful that we had our spar somewhere hidden from sight as I realize how my abilities might be too different. After spending four years in a dungeon being experimented on, I did not need people to get interested in dissecting me for why I'm capable of what I'm doing.

"Thanks for the tip Garth. Could you and Elizabeth keep my abilities a secret then?".

Feeling the warmth of Elizabeth reassuring hand on my shoulder, "Of course Cloud! You can trust me and Garth not to share your abilities with people who would seek to harm you.".

Smiling back gratefully at both of them I tell them that I'd like to rest and return to my room for some sleep.

* * *

_Garth and Elizabeth_

As I watch the kid leave to go rest, I signal to Elizabeth that we need to talk. I close the door after Cloud leaves so that no one can listen in.

"Cloud is extremely strange", are the first words out of Elizabeth's mouth.

Snorting at her blunt and short statement, " No kidding, he eats Lightning Dust Crystals after all."

"Still I'm glad Cloud is here if he is going to help us. His ability to heal is going to be great for Lightning Keep. It'll help boost morale and that will keep people from attracting Grim with their negative feelings".

If the kid really decides to help, I can see that coming true. However, there was just too many suspicious mysterious around the boy.

Seeing my expression, "Garth I think we can trust Cloud. He's a nice guy and he showed it with how he saved Carla the other day and you heard what he said to her in the flower field".

"The kid has a heart, I won't disagree with you on that Elizabeth. However, he's amnesiac. What if he regains his memories and turns out to be a completely different from what we know now? Either way I'm going to keep a close eye on him. I have someone at Beacon academy I can ask to investigate Cloud's situation more".

I watch as Elizabeth sighs at how I remain highly suspicious of Cloud. "Sure, sounds good.". She moves to the side of the room to look out the window. Taking position beside her I look out to see some of the kids playing out in the field.

"Garth I think we are lucky that we were the first ones to find Cloud. It would be easy for someone to take advantage of him with his lack of understanding regarding Remnant.".

As I run the possibilities through my mind, I think of one of the worst ones.

"Yea I agree with you Elizabeth... The kid mentioned that he wasn't familiar with the White Fang. I could imagine the White Fang finding Cloud and hiring him as a mercenary to do terrible things when they figure out the abilities that he has".

As I let the terrible thought settle into our minds I realize that it was a smart idea to tie Cloud to our militia by hiring him as our mercenary.

Breaking the dark mood Elizabeth smiles at me before saying, "Well now that we know Cloud eats Lightning Dust Crystals like candy there isn't any way he'll leave us now".

* * *

_Garth by himself_

Later that night I pick up my scroll to make a private call to the headmaster at Beacon Academy.

"_Good evening Garth. It's unexpected to hear you give me a call after all these years since your retirement as a hunter_"

Grunting at back at his comment. "Ozpin, I found someone strange that I need you to look into for me".

Slowly I go over the strange mysterious around Cloud. How we found him in a dust coffin in the lightning dust mine, his Geostigma sickness, his need to eat Lightning dust crystal and his ability to hide his Faunas traits. However, it's when I mention his abilities to shoot lightning and heal that makes Ozpin pause.

"_Are you sure that those abilities are not the result of his Semblance?" _

"I'm not completely sure that it's not his Semblance but having experienced and seen him use those abilities myself I can't say with confidence that they are".

Thinking quietly to myself about my past experiences fighting other Huntsman, I can say confidently that Cloud's abilities feel like it is something other than Aura.

"There is also the kids combat skills. Based on his appearance, Cloud must be in his mid-teenage years. However, he doesn't fight anything like someone his age would. He's disciplined, calm and fights like someone who has been in the military for years."

_"That is disturbing to hear that a child so young has so much experience with fighting... Do you think he is part of the White Fang ?"_

"No I don't think he is a part of the White Fang. I've seen him interact with both Humans and Faunus and he has yet to show any hostility towards Humans.".

"_Thank you for bringing this to my attention and I'll certainly be looking into this. I may get Qrow to investigate just so you know"._

Groaning at the mention of that man. "Whatever just make sure Qrow stays out of my sight". I hang up on Ozpin and get ready to turn in for the night. Hopefully Ozpin doesn't find anything wrong with Cloud as he investigates. I hate to admit it, but I do like the kid.

* * *

**Author notes**

**I hope you didn't find the interaction between Cloud and Carla to be too cringe worthy. I wanted the two to bond over the past and help Cloud start building connections to the people of Remnant.**

**The spar between Garth and Cloud is also my first serious attempt at creating an engaging action sequence. Let me know if you found it hard to follow.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_6 months later - In a neighboring village_

"Thank you sir. Is that all you'll be purchasing ?"

Nodding my head to conclude the transaction I turn to leave.

"The rest of your supplies you ordered for Lightning Keep will be shipped in a week".

I leave the supply shop and walk to my dust motorcycle that I've refurbished for my own personal usage. This was the last stop for the day. Starting my journey back to Lightning Keep, I listen to the hum of the engine as my mind starts to wander and go over what's change over the last half a year.

My journey to Remnant was extremely abrupt. I kinda wish I was able to say goodbye to everyone before I was sent here. However, I had made it a point to talk to and tell each of my friends what they meant to me on the eve of our battle against Sephiroth when we weren't sure whether we would succeed or die. So even if my departure to Remnant was abrupt and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, leaving so suddenly didn't leave me with any real regrets. Of course I still miss them all.

Thinking about how I arrived, I'm really grateful for the kindness that Elizabeth and Garth have shown me so far. Elizabeth offered me a room to stay in at the Orphanage so I've been living there since. Honestly, I owe them both a lot and they've been really patient and helpful in my transition to living in Remnant.

At first I spent most of my time at the orphanage or at the flower garden that Carla had shown me. I quickly learned how to read Remnant's language with Elisabeth's patient help and tutoring. Carla was helpful too and we would spend time together reading. It's cute how Carla would wait every morning for me at the table so that we can have breakfast together. This has now become a morning tradition.

Not surprising to anyone who knew me, the only people I really spoke to was Elizabeth, Garth and Carla in the beginning. This didn't bother me at all. I had plenty of time to myself and to be honest I was quite content. I had lots of reading to do anyways. That all ended within the first week when Elizabeth realized that I was choosing to be a recluse and it wasn't because I was still getting used to living in Remnant. Elizabeth then made it Garth's responsibility that I interact more with the village. To Garth that meant getting me to actively work with the militia.

Work with the militia boiled down to mostly exterminating and thinning down the Grimm in the forests surrounding the village. Much to Elizabeth's displeasure, I'd almost always chose to head back to the orphanage after these missions and rarely stayed behind to socialize. I'll probably never become a social butterfly and I was happy enough with those who I knew. Over time I developed a positive reputation through helping fight the Grimm and healing those who got injured . If there is one thing that sucks though it was a embarrassing nick name that had caught on with everyone I know. Someone overheard Carla's nickname for me, Mr. Angel, and now everyone won't stop making fun of me for it.

I've also continued to have weekly sparing matches with Garth. All of the sparring matches are intense and have been a great help. It has really allowed me to get comfortable with the differences in fighting in Remnant. Having fought Garth so many times I have to say that the man is extremely good. He would easily qualify as one of the elite 1st class SOLIDERS back in my world. We've never fought each other until there was a clear winner in any of our matches. I think I could win if I pulled out everything that I had but since it's a spar we've always tried to avoid seriously injuring each other which restricts the both of us.

A few months ago during one of the grim extermination missions I found a discarded dust motorcycle. Bringing it back with me, Garth and Elizabeth were curious as to why I wanted it so much. I told the both of them that it triggered some memories and shared a bit about how I used to run deliveries as an owner of a business called Strife Deliveries. Elizabeth and Garth were happy to hear that I had remembered something and promptly got some villagers who used to be a mechanic to help restore the dust motorcycle. On top of my militia work I then started helping Lightning keep with getting supplies now that I had a vehicle. Getting supplies was crucially important for a village this far away on the outskirts.

My job was to escort and protect the teams in charge of getting supplies. Travelling with the supply team was a great way to learn more about life outside Lightning Keep. Garth has rarely ever gone with the supply teams as he has to stay back at the village for defense. One of the first things I did on my first trip was buy a small gift for Carla. The gift was a blue comb and blue hairpin in the shape of wings. She's worn the blue hairpin everyday happily since.

It was also during my travels that I began to understand how deep the resentment between Humans and Faunas could be.

A lot of the villages we visited for supplies were the same as Lightning keep and accepting of Faunas. However, there were some that were heavily against Faunas. It was in these villages that the supply team really appreciated my presence. Sometimes these villages had specific supplies that we needed. Although we had humans on our supply team, they couldn't get the supplies easily because they were seen as Faunas sympathizers as a result of Lightning Keep accepting Faunas. In these situations I would enter the village alone and hide my wings to appear human. I'm able get the supplies we needed since I look like a Huntsman with my giant sword strapped to my back. Since I always enter alone the supply team still don't know about my ability to hide my wings.

Being a recent resident to Remnant, I find the discrimination to be honestly disgusting. Based on my experience interacting with Faunas and cute little Carla, there is nothing wrong or threatening about Faunas ... Perhaps I'm a little bias on this since I'm technically a Faunas as well.

Honestly, it reminds me of the divide between the rich and poor back in my world. I guess discrimination can't be avoided no matter what world you live in.

I've been saving up in case I decide to leave Lightning keep and feel I'm prepared enough that I can survive on my own. At the moment I have no plans to leave as I'm really enjoying my time there so far. My only concern about traveling around Remnant is my need for Lightning Dust crystals to manage my Geostigma. However, this issue is mostly resolved with a touching collective gift a few days ago. The people in the militia and those that I had help healed noticed that I constantly buy Lightning Dust Crystals. As a show of appreciation they gifted me a easy to carry storage pack that I can use to safely keep a weeks supply of Lightning Dust Crystals on my body. I was pretty shocked when they surprised me with the gift.

Looking back to my time spent growing up in Nibelheim and being in the in Shinra military academy, I've never been truly a part of any communities and have always been an outcast. Having those who I knew Lightning keep treat me so well has made leaving not an urgent priority.

As I get close to the top of this last hill, I'm actually excited about finally getting back. When I crest the top of the hill what I see changes my happy hopeful mood instantly. I'm filled with dread and worry instead. Rising high into the air above Lightning keep is a thick charcoal plume of smoke from a large fire signifying that something is very wrong.

Gunning my dust motorcycle, I start racing back to a home I hope will still be there when I reach it.

I navigate the terrain as quickly as I can without getting into an accident. To be honest I've come to see Lightning Keep as home now. Seeing all the fire and smoke fills me with crushing anxiety and worry that I might be too late to make a difference. I can't help but think of my past failures.

I had left the village I grew up in to train and become someone who could protect the things important to them. Only to fail and be unable to stop Nibelheim being burned to the ground by Sephiroth.

I made a promise to Tifa that I would be there to save her when she needed me. Only to reach her before she became unconscious from being cut down and left to bleed out on the floor.

I made a promise to Aaerith that I would protect her from danger. Only to watch her be killed in front of me.

I made a promise to Carla that I would save her if she was in trouble. This time I'm determined not to fail as I charged forward.

* * *

_Close the village gates_

Once I could clearly see the Village gate I notice that it was strangely blasted pieces on the floor. As I get closer my enhanced hearing allowed me to identify the pop and ring of gunfire in the air. Why weren't there militia guards at the gate to prevent Grimm from coming in? Could we be under attack by people? A second observation on the village revealed that there were a bunch of tire tracks leading into the village. Thinking over the different possibilities I decide to be cautious. I park and hide away my Dust motorcycle and dash on foot to the village walls instead of the main entrance.

The village walls are meant to keep out Grimm so it is high enough that you can't easily climb or go over it. However this won't be an issue for me. During my sparing matches with Garth, I had been experimenting with my black wings to see if they were more than just Decoration. I found that using them at specific times during a fight allowed for more options to surprise my opponent. One of my more ingenious moments was when I surprised Garth by sucker punching him with the opening of my wings when he least expected it. I haven't dared to do it again since as I'm pretty sure Garth has been waiting for an opportunity to cut them off now.

Flying was also a possibility now but required that I maintain a constant supply of mana to my wings as I flap to get lift. I would have to say flying has become one of my favorite activities for relaxing. To Carla's delight and Elizabeth's horror, I also occasionally took Carla with me into the air. Speaking of Carla we've become much closer over the months since our first little sharing session.

Once I'm close enough I channel mana to activate my wings and launch myself over the wall and hopefully undetected. Landing on the roof of the closet building I scan the village and try to get a sense of what's happening. Off in the back of village I can see that the black smoke and fire is in the area where we had the Lightning dust from the mines stored.

As I look around I feel my heart growing heavy when I see bodies on the floor that belong to the village. I continue to hear the shooting of guns in the air which gives me reassurance that some the village militia was still alive.

Listening carefully, I move towards the closest location where I hear shots being fired only to see Lawrence running. Bobbing and weaving, I watch as Lawrence runs into a buildings for cover. Looking at what is pursuing him I get confirmation that it people and not Grimm that are attacking us.

I count three people who are wearing full body black cloaks and concealing their faces behind white masks designed similarly to what you would see on the Grimm. Their attire and specifically the mask match what I've been told the White Fang look like.

What purpose would the White Fang have in attacking us? The only thing of value was out Lightning Dust but I presume they were the ones who had set the buildings ablaze. Feeling my anger boiling I take a deep breath to calm my mind and get ready to help Lawrence deal with these three that are chasing after him.

I reach into my Lightning Dust Crystal storage pack to grab one before swallowing it. Instantly I feel my body grow warm and my mana begin to recover back to full. I've been experimenting with them to see what kind of effects they have on me. So far what I know is that the effects don't stack. Taking a second one doesn't provide me with any benefit so it seems that I have a limit of one per day. Sadly, I had originally wanted to use them like potions to recover my mana.

I unlatch my fusion sword and rush to the edge of the roof before jumping and gliding on my wings towards the position of the White Fang . As soon as I'm over the the White Fang soldier in the back I let myself plummet. Giving these enemies no mercy I land on him feet first and feel the crunch of his Aura defense and bones breaking. He screams out in pain which alerts the two White Fang soldiers in front of him. Completely bewildered at my sudden appearance they react slowly. Taken advantage of their shock I put all my strength into a horizontal swing. Their feeble Aura isn't enough to protect them and I instantly behead the both of them. I then finish off the White Fang soldier I landed on with a quick slash.

Peeking around his cover because of the sudden silence, Lawrence finally see's me, "Oh my god. Thank god it's you Cloud." He shakily runs up to me and giving me an unexpected hug in greeting.

"Damn it everything is a mess right now... Out of nowhere the Lightning Dust Storage buildings exploded this morning and all of a sudden the White Fang attacked us. Everyone's fighting all over the place and those white masked bastards are killing everyone who resisting and taking all of the children". Swearing and cursing nonstop for a moment he suddenly grabs me by the shoulders.

What ?! The moment he mentioned that the White Fang are targeting children specifically has me concerned because of Carla.

"Cloud you need to go save the kids and villagers they've captured ! I'll round up what ever militia members I can and meet you there." Looking at him I see that he is shaken from what's happened today but still keeping himself together.

Pointing towards the center of the village, "The White Fang are rounding them up over there and shepherding the kids into white vans. I don't know what they plan to do with them but your the only one right now who can do something about it. I've seen you kill Grim and I have no idea where Garth is right now. He's probably in the thick of it so I need you to do this".

Thinking to myself that maybe Carla has been taken I'm eager to get going, "Don't worry Lawrence. I'll save them".

"Good man. I'll see you later Cloud and good luck.". Slapping me on the back, he picks up the a gun dropped by one of the White Fang before running off towards an area where I hear gunfire.

I get back onto the building roofs and start making my way towards the village center by gliding in between the buildings. Once I'm there I see that it is a bad situation. The first thing I notice is that there are about twenty villagers on the ground on their knees with their arms behind their heads. Watching them closely and encircling all of them are four white fang soldiers with rifles.

Off to the side I see one white military van empty with the other two being slowly filled with kids from the village. All three of the white vans have a white fang soldier guarding them or shepherding the kids into the vehicles while they slowly check each of the kids. What they are checking for I have no clue. I don't see Carla among them so hopefully she might already be inside one of the Vans.

In the center of all of this is a white fang member in better armor giving off orders into his headset along side one soldier guarding him. I'm assuming that the one shouting out orders must be the leader of this operation.

Taken another sweep of the area I notice that they have a pair of guards patrolling the perimeter that I had missed at first. Thinking the situation over I realize that rescuing everyone is going to be extremely difficult. This is because they could easily take the unarmed villagers hostage or threaten the kids for me to stop. Diving in headfirst isn't a solution.

I move over to stalk the two guards patrolling in hopes of inspiration. As I spy on them I notice that they have each have a dust grenade attached to their belts and get an idea for a plan. A highly risky plan but it's the best I can think of for the moment.

I carefully stalk the two patrolling guards and wait for an opportunity where they are both out of sight from those in the village center. I unlatch my sword and remove one of the blades in my fusion sword so that I have a sword in each hand. Seeing my opportunity I dash forward and leap off the room to land right between the both of them. Thrusting both swords before either can react my blade breaks their Aura and slashes their throats. Both of them grasp their throats to try and stem the bleeding while gurgling bubbles and fall to the floor. Putting my sword back together, I grab the both of them and drag them into the nearest building to hide their bodies and then take both of their dust grenades. I want to keep the element of surprise so I need to start the next steps in my plan before they notice the two patrolling guards are missing.

Climbing back onto the roof I channel my mana and unleashing my wings. Dashing into the air I climb to a height where they White Fang shouldn't notice me unless they look up. As I go back to the village center I prime the dust grenade and let it drop onto the white van that I saw was empty earlier. The dust grenade falls unnoticed until it explodes and sets the white van ablaze. Everyone is shocked by the sudden eruption and too distracted to notice me. I target who I assume to be the White Fang commander landing behind him and the soldier beside him. I swing my sword to decapitate the soldier and grab the commander to hold him hostage.

"Nobody move or I'll kill your commander !"

I see everyone's shocked faces at my sudden arrival. The villagers look astounded and hopeful upon recognizing who I am. I watch as the White Fang guards realize what just happened and all of them train their guns on me. Shouting breaks out as the White Fang demand that I lower my weapon and release their commander. This is now a tense situation where both parties are holding hostages and it turns into a stalemate. The commander turns his head to glance at me and notices my wings.

"I see you are a Faunas as well. The White Fang fights for your cause. Lower your sword and let me go and I promise you that you'll be able to survive unharmed".

Clearly an empty promise. I press my blade closer towards his neck in response. "Tell your men to stand down or you will be the one who needs to worry about surviving today".

We stare into each other's eyes for a moment before he starts chuckling. "If I die then all of those villagers die with me. There is no negotiation here."

As some of the White Fang guards start slowly moving towards me, I feel the situation slowly slipping from my control. Glancing towards the villagers I see that they were quietly murmuring among themselves. One of villagers is a man who I knew to be friendly with practically everyone at Lightning Keep. As we make eye contact I see the determination on his face, an unsettling feeling about what's about to happen next rises in me.

"CLOUD! DON'T WORRY ABOUT US AND RESCUE THE KIDS!"

Right after shouting that at me, the villagers held prisoner immediately get up and rush to take down the White Fang who were originally guarding them. Those White Fang soldiers are caught off guard as they had turned to point their guns at me.

The situation falls apart into complete chaos.

Cursing to myself I punch the commander in the gut and feel his Aura break. Grabbing his head I slam him into the ground hard enough to see cracks and render him unconscious for now. He might be useful later for information and figuring out why they attacked us.

Turning around I dash towards the three White Fang soldiers who are supposed to be guarding the vans with the kids in them. Ejecting out one of the smaller blades from my fusion sword I hurl it as hard as I can at one of them. The blade goes whistling through the air and spears itself through the chest of one of the unprepared guards.

Moving my giant sword in front of me, I use its size as a shield to deflect gunshots as I rush towards the next closest White fang Soldier and bash him into the ground. Once we are both on the ground I punch him with the full might of my enhanced strength three times in succession. I feel his Aura break during the first punch, the crunch of his nose on the second and the snap of bone on the final punch as he stops moving.

Diving forward to avoid the gunshots from the last remaining guard near the vans I stab my giant sword into the ground to use as make shift cover. Ripping my handgun Cerberus out of its holster I wait for an opportunity. Hearing a pause in his shooting, I peak out from my cover and brace myself as I channel mana into my gun and feel the explosive recoil from shooting it. Cerberus is a a unique gun that fires three bullets with each shot. Channeling my mana into the gun strengthens it's destructive capabilities. The power of the three bullets blow through his aura and create a fist sized hole in his chest in the White Fang soldier.

Spinning around I look to help the other villagers only to discover that the fighting is over. During the chaos Lawrence had arrived with some militia members and immediately jumped in to help fight back. Sadly though it looks like some of the villagers had been killed during their attempt to counter attack.

Walking up to the commander I kick him awake and point my sword at him. I can see his fear as he realizes the situation he's in and the fact that all of his troops are dead. Frustrated at the situation Lawrence rushes up to him to shout into his face with fury, "**WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING US"**.

His faces settles into one of determination and I know that he's going to resist saying anything. Lowering my sword I grab him by the neck and start channeling my lightning based spell **Bolt**. My mana pours electricity into him as he screams and spasms. Stopping the spell for a moment.

"If you don't want to go through that again you better start talking.".

"N-N-no please don't... Our mission is just to wipe out the resistance here and to capture any children that we find. They don't tell us anything else."

I lift him up and squeeze his neck to start strangling him, "Not good enough. Tell me why you are taking the children". I stop once his face starts turning into a shade of purple and before he loses consciousness.

"T-Th-The White Fang needs weapons... We exchange the children with a weapons dealer who gives us what we need.."

"What is your supplier doing with the children"

The commander grows more pale from my question, "...There are rumors that they might be for some experiments".

Pausing for a moment to let what he said sink in, I realize that they were taking all these kids to become lab experiments. Remembering the four years me and my best friend Zack were tortured and experimented on I start to see red. Unable to control myself I throw the commander onto the ground and raise my sword to kill him only to hear him plead for his life.

"NO DON'T! I give all of them a choice... They could either join us in the White Fang or be sent off to the weapons dealer".

How is that a choice? Forced to join the White Fang who from what I've seen are just a bunch of psychotic murderers or be a test subject. I resolve myself to end the life of this monster**.**

Only to see Lawrence step forward glaring at the commander before I could do anything and place his gun on his head. I've never seen Lawrence this angry before.

"You bastard... All those men you killed we're my friends and you did it for such a disgusting reason.".

***BANG***

Stepping away from the dead commander, Lawrence begins to issue orders and organize the militia and the villagers. I decide to let Lawrence have some space and rush off to see if I can find Carla among the kids who were about to be taken away. My dread grows as I go through each of the kids and don't see Carla. As I check the last one I find that she isn't here. Was I too late again? Maybe they didn't get to her and she could she still be back at the orphanage?

My thinking is interrupted by Lawrence, "Cloud I think I hear gunfire where the orphanage is. You should head there to help."

Listening to the sounds I realize that it is true that there is shooting in the direction of the orphanage. I feel some relief with the thought that maybe I'm not too late yet

"I'll be taking the people and militia here with me to secure the gate and sweep the village to rescue any villagers and take out any remaining White Fang members. Once I'm done Cloud I'll meet you at the orphanage".

Nodding my head in understanding I rush up onto the building roofs and start moving as quickly as I can towards the orphanage. As I leap and glide from building to building with my wings I think of how much Elizabeth and Garth have done for me, I think of Carla who was so happy to spend time with me and the good times during the last 6 months.

I felt for the first time that I was living a normal life. Now the damn White Fang might have taken it all away from me with this senseless attack. They are looking to capture children and if I get to the orphanage too late the kids might end up on a lab table like I was in the past.

I'm lost enough in my thoughts while rushing forward that I'm caught unaware when I hear a voice speaking to me all of a sudden, "Hey there birdie. Hold your horses".

Dropping onto the building I'm standing on is a man I've never seen before. He has short spiky hair and a scraggy appearance with some facial hair and a relaxed smile on his face. I unlatch my sword in preparation to fight.

"Wow, wow, wow. Calm down kid I'm not here to fight, I'm here to help you save Garth and the little kiddies", states the man while raising both his hands up in surrender.

"My name is Qrow. I'm a Huntsman and a friend of Garth. I just happened to be stopping by in this village during the attack and have been helping out with fighting the white fang". Looking at him more closely now I can see that he has splotches of blood over him and that he has sword on the back of his hips.

He's visiting here ? On the day of the attack ? Hard to believe that he arrived so coincidentally. Pointing my sword at him in preparation to attack," Prove to me that you are a friend of Garth's".

"Seriously kid... Alright, Garth was the one who told me that you arrived here six months ago and that you are sick with something called Geostigma. Do you believe me now?"

I'm a bit surprised that Garth would share with someone that I'm sick with Geostigma without telling me since it is something I want to keep private. Garth and Elizabeth were the only one I shared information about Geostigma. Regardless I nod to him to show that I believe that he's a friend of Garth's now.

"Good. Now that you aren't trying to take my head off we can get to business. I've been thinning the rank of the White Fang for a while now. I've taken out a squad of nine White Fang soldiers with hit and run tactics but I know a group of six of them are sieging the orphanage where Garth and the kids are at. They got a pair trying to get through the front gate of the orphanage and a pair of guards to the left and right."

Nodding again to show him that I understand what he's saying, "What do you want to do about it ?".

Looking down to my belt, "Well I see you got a Dust grenade there and I'm assuming your decent with that sword of yours. Give me the Dust grenade to use as a signal. I'll take down the pair of White Fang soldiers on the right. You can take out the pair of soldiers on the left. Afterwards we'll rush down the two at the front gate".

Seems like a reasonable plan. I'm not sure how capable he is but if he's a Huntsman like Garth then he should be fine.

I move to get in position behind the left pair of White Fang soldiers. Seeing the two of them who want to destroy my home, I have to restrain myself from outright attacking them before I hear the signal. Looking over their equipment I notice that one of them is much bigger and bulkier and has better armor and equipment than the other White Fang Soldiers I've seen so far. The commander must have sent his stronger troops to the Orphanage because of Garth. I don't have to wait long before I hear the explosion of the Dust grenade signaling that it's time to act.

I rush down the two soldiers in front of me. I feel my sword slice through the Aura and back of one of the White Fang soldier putting him out of commission. Reacting to my attack on his partner, the remaining bigger White Fang soldier fires a few shots at me which I block by using my sword. Keeping my sword in front of me again I charge and bash him with my sword as a shield. He staggers back from my body check without falling down but drops his rifle.

Drawing out his own sword he dashes forward to attack. I go underneath his swing that would have taken my head off. Taking a step back, I counter by swinging my sword at his body. He raises his sword in time and I hear him grunt in effort while blocking my attack. We both break away from each other to both dash at each other to clash again. I take advantage of my giant sword and keep him in striking range while he can't get close enough with his sword shorter reach.

Channeling my mana into a spell, I prepare to finish him off with a little surprise. As he jumps away to avoid being cleaved in half from one of my strikes I cast **Bolt** and launch a lighting strike at him. He's caught by completely surprise and is electrocuted and freezes. Not letting this opportunity go, I rush in and finish him off with a slash.

Leaving behind the two defeated enemies I move towards the front of the orphanage where I still hear shooting. Arriving at the front I'm surprised and glad to see Garth who looked to have just finished off the pair of soldiers himself.

As I step closer I see that Qrow arrive at the same time. Upon noticing the both of us, Garth spins around with a defensive stance ready to attack. Instead of seeing enemies, he see's allies and his face lights up with a smile.

"Cloud your back! Kid, it is good to see you unharmed", states a happy Garth before he moves forward to give me a brief hug. "Qrow I see your here too. For once I'm actually glad to see your face".

Qrow shrugs at Garth's greeting, "Jeez, well its good to see you too Garth".

We head inside as I update Garth on what happened in the town center and the fact that the White Fang commander is dead. I let him know that Lawrence is sweeping the village and securing the gate before meeting up with us here so that we can figure out what to do next. Garth's dark expression let's me know that he doesn't like the situation we are in at all.

As we walk into the orphanage I see the destruction to the place during the attack. There are numerous holes in the walls and nearly all the windows I see are shattered. I see bodies with the White Fang cloak and mask so it looks like Garth had to fight them inside the building. Furniture is thrown all over the place and I can see tables and shelves had been moved to be used as makeshift barricades to close out potential attack venues.

Knocking on the door for the clinic room I hear Elizabeth demand who's there.

"Elizabeth let me in, It's Garth. I got Cloud and another huntsman here with me. We're safe for now and Lawrence is out securing the village".

The door unlocks and we walk in to see all of the kids here and Elizabeth sitting on one of the beds with a leg bandaged and a shotgun pointed at us.

"CLOUD !"

Running into my legs crying immediately is Carla. Bending down I give her a tight hug. I'm relieved that I managed to keep my promise with her and could be here in time to help.

Wanting to take a look at Elizabeth injury, I pick Carla up and walk over to examine her.

I can see the relief on Elizabeth's face as she says, "Cloud I'm so glad that you are safe". Her hair is disheveled and I can see she is in pain from her wound. Seeing that I'm looking at her injured leg she remarks, "Don't worry about it Cloud. It's just a gunshot wound".

Guessing that I want to help Elizabeth by using cure, Garth walks over to me and places a hand on my shoulder.

"Kid you need to save your strength for tonight. Elizabeth may be in pain but that wound isn't life threatening".

Elizabeth reaches out to hold my hand to reassure me, "Don't worry Cloud I'm fine. Garth is right, we are going to need you for what's next".

Wondering what she meant by that Garth fills in the blank.

"The combination of the attack from the White Fang and the fire that's visible miles away is going to be a beacon for Grimm to come. We need to plan for how we are going to defend ourselves. Lawrence should be here shortly and then we all need to talk.".

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**Author notes:**

**Please leave me a review if you want me to continue the story :)**

**This is my first written story I've done and seeing reviews let's me know that you would like more content. **

**I'd love feed back on the combat. I'm trying to make it interesting and engaging while easy to imagine. Let me know if you find it hard to follow.**

**The next chapter should the end of this prologue arc.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Notes: Thank you for everyone who has been leaving me reviews ! They are what I look forward to the most after posting a chapter. Even if the review is just a short message that you liked what you read. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Kitchen meeting at the Orphanage_

Once Lawrence arrived, we all settled into the kitchen to talk about the current situation. Attending the meeting was Garth, myself, Elizabeth and Qrow. Everyone liked tired from the events of the day.

Garth started off the conversation once we were all settled. " Any idea why the White Fang chose to attack us?".

I hear a heavy thud on the table as Lawrence hits it out of frustration. "Cloud and I interrogated the Commander at the village center. He told us that they were aiming to capture the children. Apparently, they've been exchanging kidnapped children for weapons. "

Garth knitted his brows in anger but spoke calmly, "They must be using the Grimm to cover their tracks after they attack small villages like ours. The negativity from panic and killing will bring them in. Regardless we need to figure out what we are doing tonight. Lawrence can you give us an update of the current situation in the village?".

"We swept through the village and there isn't any White Fang Soldiers remaining. While we were there, we also took all their usable equipment and weapons. The Village Gate is completely busted with no way to get anything up temporarily quickly. It's also impossible to stop the fire at the dust storage buildings with the amount of Lightning Dust we had stored as well".

"..."

Quietly we let the facts sink in. I could see a barely noticeable twitch on Garth's face when everyone turned to him for leadership. A lot of pressure on the man as he was the most senior person here. Sighing because no one was offering any suggestions, "I hate to say it but there is no way we can stay here tonight. The Grimm are going to be flooding this place."

We had no way to stop the Grimm from entering the village with the gate blown to pieces. Defending was going to be difficult because there wasn't anything planned for a breach like this. The village relied on the walls keeping the Grimm out and there was no inner defense to fall back to.

Garth reluctantly looked to the other huntsman in the room, "Qrow is there anything you can do to help with the situation?"

"I can call Beacon to pull some strings and get some airships for evacuation. However, at the earliest it will still take at least two hours before they arrive".

"Do it. We'll just have to pray to the goddesses the Grimm don't come running right away. In the meantime, we are all going to stay here and shore up our defenses to buy as much time for evacuation as we can. Gather all the villagers and non-combatants in here. The village wall behind this building can help make it so we won't be surrounded immediately once the Grim come in. We'll only have to worry about the Grimm coming from the three streets in front of the building. There should also be enough room for the airships to land in the field close to us so we can easily evacuate everyone."

Garth pauses to see if there are any questions.

"Lawrence how many militia members and men are still fit to fight?"

"We got about thirty men who can be armed with White Fang weapons. Also, about half a dozen Dust Grenades as well".

"Alright, here's how we'll split up. Cloud will defend the street on the East, Qrow will take the West. Lawrence, you and I will deal with anything that comes down the central street."

The central street would most likely have the most Grimm because it's a bigger compared to the east and west. Suddenly I get an idea that might help," Garth what if we try and blockade the main street a bit to make it narrower? We can use the large vans that the White Fang brought to help. "

"That could help a bit. Lawrence can you also get people to grab whatever they can to add to the blockade and help narrow down the street.", taking a moment to think Garth then added, "We'll have twelve men support Cloud and another twelve for Qrow. The remainder will be with us Lawrence".

Garth's suggestion meant that there wouldn't be an even distribution of fighters among the three streets. Qrow seeing the concern on my face, "Don't worry kid, Garth will be fine. You don't live to be an old huntsman without being good at what you do". I'll just have to trust that Garth knows what he's doing. I've sparred enough with the man to know he is very skilled, but I can't help but worry the grim will be too many and he'll get over run.

We spend a bit more time discussing the finer specifics before ending the meeting. Getting up I move to go survey the east street and plan out what I'm going to do. As I'm about to step out I'm stopped by Garth, "Cloud wait a moment. We need to talk privately for a bit". Garth gestures for me to take a seat as we wait until everyone leaves the room.

"I made the decision back there for you to lead the defense for the East street without asking you. You're still missing your memories and I know your not the most social person in the world... I just want to make sure with you right now. Tell me honestly, are you okay being the lead for East Street?".

I can see how serious Garth is about this. Personally, I feel that it wouldn't be too much of an issue. After all I had previously led a team to fight in all hundreds of battles back in my world. Being a team lead was far from being a new experience for me.

"I think I'll be fine Garth"

"That's good to hear. But I'm going to tell you and remind you of this anyways. Defending against Grimm attacks is always extremely risky and difficult. This is because of the nature of the Grimm. Remember how I explained to you that they are attracted to negative emotions? What is so dangerous about defending against them is that it only takes one person to start panicking for things to start spiraling out of control. Emotions are contagious and a really important part of what it means to take lead is to manage team morale. Failing to manage it well will draw the horde of Grim straight towards you".

I start to realize that this aspect of the Grimm was what made them truly terrifying. Managing morale has never really been an issue I've concerned myself with. Thinking about the upcoming battle there was another issue.

The people that I was leading weren't huntsman, soldiers or even fighters. They were really just civilians who had only wanted to temporarily move to Lightning Keep to make some fast money before heading home. My previous team were warriors who believed in our cause and willing to fight tooth and nail to achieve our goal of saving the planet. The people I had to work with right now against the Grimm hadn't signed themselves up for something like this.

I get a sinking feeling in my gut as I become fully aware that there the situation is more precarious than I thought, and Garth is right to be concerned. People skills isn't something I consider myself to be the best in. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, "There's no choice Garth. I'll figure out how to manage it".

"Good to see you stepping up kid. Look on the bright side, you got a bigger team than me".

* * *

_At East Street _

The worst part about combat situations like this is the waiting. You know the enemy is coming but you just don't know when they'll arrive. You know rescue is coming but you don't know when they'll arrive. It can feel like you have no control over your life and whether you live is a roll of the dice. In these situations, men can easily fall apart and panic. That's the biggest danger here and my biggest concern because that negativity is sure to bring the Grimm running.

I was out here on East Street by myself because I wanted to take a look at the street first before meeting my team. The reason why was because I figured having a good plan would help my team feel more confident. After I finished my survey of our defensive zone, I met the people I would be fighting alongside.

I recognize a few of the face are from the village militia or were part of the group of villagers I rescued earlier. My first impression when looking at everyone was that we weren't off to a good start. They were clearly scared at what was to come and I couldn't blame them for it. I silently stood there with my new team as I tried to think of something inspirational to say all of them.

With as much confidence as I can muster, "... I have a plan".

I can see by the zero change in their expressions that they aren't quite inspired by my words. Geez, I'm not a politician... Giving an inspirational speech on the spot wasn't covered in my military training!

"Rescue is on it's way already. We only need to defend until the Airship gets here." During our meeting we had decided to keep the information regarding how long the Airship would take to come rescue us a secret.

"If you follow my plan you will be fine"

I then share the three phases to my plan for all of them to hear. After listening to my explanation one of the ones who look the most scared burst out, "How do we know you aren't just going to be leaving us to die? During our militia Grimm exterminations in the forests you always left us right after the mission".

"..."

Well that's not good. I can't really say to him that I didn't stay behind to socialize because I don't like to.

Then another person in our group stepped up to speak, "I was one of the men captured today and held prisoner at the village center. Cloud came to rescue us when he could easily have left us to our fates. He had also been on every militia Grimm extermination mission. Cloud said this plan will work and I believe him".

Once everyone heard his glowing testimony of my bravery the mood in the team settled down. Sighing in relief to myself I told them to get in position and follow the plan. We began our nerve-fraying wait in the dark for the Grimm to show up.

It took over an hour to barricade up the central street, set up what I needed for my defensive plan and create this cover I'm hiding behind. My cover was a mix of what ever we could find but mostly wood stretching from the left side to the right of East Street. A wall of debris that the Grimm would have to climb over to get to the Orphanage. A last obstacle for the Grimm.

After all teams on each street finished their defensive set up, we were all instructed to turn off any lights and stay silent so we could be incognito to the Grimm for as long as possible.

As I sit in the makeshift cover and barricade on the ground floor on the street in front of the orphanage, I check Cerberus and make sure that it's loaded. The first phase of my plan is focused on all of us holdmg back the Grimm at a distance by shooting them with our guns. We have them so we might as well make full use of them. It should also help my team panic less in comparison to having any of them fight the Grimm up close.

Soon my mind wanders as I stare at the same unchanging scenery. I think about my last conversation with Elizabeth. She had pulled me away for a private conversation. Most of it was just her checking how I was feeling and if my Geostigma was causing any issues. Thankfully it wasn't and I was feeling close to full on mana which was good. However, my mind was stuck on Elizabeth last request. That if the situation looked like a lost cause that I would promise to take Carla and escape. I really hoped that it wouldn't come down to that.

The silence around the orphanage didn't last forever. Fifteen to twenty minutes have passed by my estimate before I see the first sign of Grimm. A small Beowolf at the end of the street. Everyone on my team remains still and just watches it. We need to buy as much time as possible for our air rescue to arrive. This means we should attack at the last possible moment as the noise will signal the rest of the Grimm to start coming running for us. We let the lone Beowolf continue to wander around doing what it is doing as we wait. As the minutes tick by we see another Beowolf and soon the numbers start ticking up. Luckily, they all stayed at the end of East Street and were still far away from us.

Finally, the silence is shattered when I hear a gunshot from the central street in front of the Orphanage.

A wolf's howl pierced through the silence of the night followed by more howls as the Grimm communicate with each other. Immediately we see all the Beowolves at the end of the street perk up and start rushing in our direction.

Exploding into action I yell out "**FIRE!**"

Our team starts gunning down the Beowolves and they all drop to the ground dead. I aim for the larger wolves and each time I pull the trigger of my gun Cerberus barks out a shot and a black wolf would tumble over and cease breathing. More and more Beowolves stream in to replace the ones we kill.

However, these numbers are still manageable. So far, we've only had to deal with Beowolves. I've read that Grimm hunt in packs and typically don't mix with other species of Grimm.

The frenzied Beowolves rush doesn't even reach the halfway mark to us and we have plenty of ammo. Although our storage building for dust was up in flames, we luckily had back up dust located elsewhere so we didn't have to worry about running out of ammunition. It was secured by Lawrence and his men when he was sweeping the village before for resources.

"We're doing good team! Keep it up!"

Amazingly quite a bit of time passes and the Beowolves are only slowly crossing the distance to us. Finally, some of the monsters start to get close. There is only a quarter of the street before they reach us. However, this stretch of road between us is a kill zone trap for the Beowolves.

Lining the East street on both sides were two story buildings. I had positioned a pair of militia men on the second floor of both sides of the street and barricaded the entrance into their buildings to protect them. They were free to safely shoot down and kill the Beowolves without any threat for the moment. I made sure these teammates were equipped with White Fang assault rifles. With the high ground advantage, they are making full use of those rifles to make it rain for the Grimm.

Although the Beowolves swarm was rushing us dozens at a time, the crossfire from our team ensured none could get to the defensive line that I was stationed. The situation began to change with the arrival of the Ursai, monsters that look like dark bears with Grimm features.

"Stay in your positions! We can hold out longer! ", the pressure from the Grimm rush is increasing and I don't want anyone to jump the gun.

The Ursai changes the behavior of the Grimm swarm. Slowly instead of just rushing in a straight line towards me and my team, a portion of the Grimm began to split off to try and attack those I had stationed in the high ground. The barricades were holding for now and our team continued to hold our position. I kept waiting for as long as I thought it was still safe before yelling out, "**PHASE TWO! FALL BACK!"**.

Hearing me shout, the shooters on the high ground stopped what they were doing and ran through the buildings they were in. Both pairs of shooters ran towards the side of the buildings with a window that was close to the defensive line I was standing at. We had set up an escape route for them where they would use a rope to rappel down to the ground floor to escape the Grimm going after them. As soon as they reached their escape route the barricades stopping the Grimm was broken. Quickly the shooters rappelled down the ropes and started running to where I was.

The plan was for them to be as discreet as possible while running so that the Grimm don't notice them. Only for me to see one of them suddenly try shooting while running to us and exposing himself and his partner to the Grimm. Within moments of firing his gun, him and his partner were overrun, and I hear their dying screams.

I wanted to rush forward to help them from what I knew would be a fatal mistake. However, I forced myself to stay where I was as suddenly leaving my post could spook the rest of the team. I can't keep but feel bitter at the situation. The other pair who followed the plan reached us without issue.

The mob of Grimm continued to be diverted into the buildings. Their simple minds focused on where they remembered the second-floor shooters used to be.

A Little longer. Once I felt there was enough Grimm packed into those building. I shouted out the next part of our team plan.

"**THROW THE GRENADES"**

Our team threw a Dust grenade to both buildings on either side of the street. As we heard the Dust Grenades blow it triggered our trap and the building entrances turned into a raging fire that kept all of the Grimm that had rushed into those buildings inside. When we were doing our defensive preparation, I decided that we would use the excess Dust we had as traps. Part of our reserve of dust was placed in the buildings to trap any Grimm lured in by the shooters on the second floor with fire.

We were now holding the defensive line as a team. The incredible heat from the two burning buildings on either side of the street helped to narrow down the street further and making it easier to handle the Grimm. Seeing a particularly big group of Grimm incoming I reach down and grab one of the Lightning Dust Crystal from my personal storage that I use for my Geostigma. I throw the Lightning Dust crystal towards the crowd of Grimm, aim carefully at it and shoot. The crystal explodes in an electrical storm that blankets the street and thins out the Grimm to where it's manageable again. I repeat this action again later when the Grimm swarm starts to get too large.

The tension in the team is continuing to rise as swarm after swarm come closer and closer.

" They can't crowd us with the fire on both sides. Work together and we can keep them back longer!"

By this point I had lost track of how many Grimm had run towards us and died. I was starting to become numb to the ringing in my ear from the non-stop shooting. Finally, I decided that we can't hold this position anymore.

"**PHASE THREE! RETREAT! "**

This time everyone on the team ran as fast as they could back towards the orphanage. I stop at what I feel is a safe distance and grab another of my personal Lightning Dust Crystal. Hurling it towards where the makeshift barricade that we were using, I shoot the crystal to make it explode. A few moments later the electrical explosion sets off my final trap. The makeshift barricade we were using that stretched the whole street had been lined with dust. Now it has been set on fire and separated East Street off from the orphanage as a wall of fire.

This flaming wall was our final line of defense against the Grimm. I let the rest of the team go back all the way to the orphanage as I stayed behind. I unlatched my fusion sword and started the process of building up my mana for my Limit Breaks, preparing myself to kill anything that could walk through the flames. At this point the only thing stopping the Grimm from getting to the orphanage was myself. I can only hope that the teams defending the Central and West streets are doing better.

Standing here looking at all of the fire I can't help but find it a bit ironic. My old home was destroyed by fire and here I am setting the place I currently call home ablaze.

It didn't take long for Ursai to start shambling through the flames to get at me. I had heard that Grimm would stop at nothing to kill humans. Proving it were the Grimm half set-on fire as they attempted to get to me.

I dash forward to swing my giant sword and finish off one the Ursai. Rolling to the left I avoided a swing from a nearby Ursai and counter attacked with an upward swing to kill it. Turning to the next one I moved forward to repeat the killing process. As I slayed Ursai after Ursai, I showcased why giant swords were great against monsters. Unlike human opponents, the monsters don't bother to block or have difficulty reading the direction of my sword. The Grimm also had no Aura protecting them as well, just those bone plates that my sword doesn't have a problem crushing or cutting through.

The size and weight of the fusion sword combined with my strength allowed me to kill most of the monsters in one or two blows. As I continued the process of killing the Ursai and Beowolves that came through, time started to blur, and I could feel the slow build up of fatigue. Fighting close to the wall of flame wasn't helping me either as I felt uncomfortably hot. Continuing to charge through the flaming wall, the number of Grimm begin to multiply and increase.

I then make a mistake and an Ursai manages to narrowly clip me on my left shoulder pauldron. Blown backwards I can feel that my shoulder is probably sporting an ugly bruise. Ignoring the pain, I get up as fast as I can. Looking forward I see that more Grimm are getting through before I can eliminate them now. Gritting my teeth, I move forward to continue fighting only to hear the crack of gunshots and watch as a few of the Grimm dropped. I turned to see that my team was just outside the orphanage providing supportive fire.

Letting them distract the Grimm for a moment I take the opportunity to cast **Haste.** I then eject out one of the larger blades in my fusion sword to dual wield two swords. It's time to put what I learned using my wings against Garth to the test. Getting ready for my blitz I channel mana into my eyes to reinforce my vision. Once I feel ready, I surge forward with boosted speed thanks to Haste towards the Grimm as a blur. Utilizing my wings constantly allowed me to redirect and angle my charge or dodge attacks without slowing down. Slashing with my swords in both hands I move from Grimm to Grimm mowing them down. Instantly the battlefield is reset to what it was before, a manageable number of Grimm.

Reaching the end of my charge as I finish off an Ursai, I take a moment to recombine my fusion sword.

I catch a glimpse of a Beowolf coming towards me at the last second. Unable to dodge the Beowolf attack I quickly reacted and used the claw gauntlet on my left arm to block the bite. The armor on the gauntlet holds strong and stopped the Beowolf fangs from piercing through. Viciously shaking its head back and forth, it tries to do further damage or tear my arm off. Gritting my teeth, I released my sword in my right hand to grab its head. Using both arms I lifted it up and smashed the black wolf into the ground, disorienting it so that it jaws loosens and I get my gauntlet arm out before kicking it away from me. I scramble to quickly pick up my sword and finish the wolf off in revenge.

Feeling the ground shake I then see my next target which is an Ursai twice the size of any I've seen so far. I heard that the older a Grimm are larger, and they become more intelligent. This must be what they call Ursai Major.

The big bear is accompanied by an entourage of six other standard Ursai. Moving as a unit they slowly converge on me. Two normal Ursai peel away from the pack and starting charging at me as fast as they can. Bending my knees, I jump high enough into air to avoid their charge while lashing out with a downward swing with my sword into one of their heads as I pass over. As soon as I land, I charge the other Ursai and spear it through its chest with my sword. Wrenching my sword out of its chest just in time to block the blow from the big Ursai Major swinging its clawed arm at me.

The strength of the Ursai Major is immense, and I'm thrown backwards smashing into the ground. Getting back up from my tumble I hold up my sword to block again as the Ursai Major appeared in front of me and attacked. This second blow lifts my entire body upwards into the air and my breath is forced out of me. Channeling mana to my wings I use them to propel myself backwards through the air with a flap.

As soon as my feet touch the ground, I avoid the Alpha and charge forward towards one of the smaller Ursai. I want to thin their numbers a bit to make it easier to deal with the Alpha. Seeing that I'm heading directly towards it, the Ursai lift's its arm to swing down at me in anticipation. Just before I get into range, I flap my wings to redirect my dash at an angle. Completely missing its strike, I swing my sword to dismember the clawed arm. The Ursai screams out in pain only to be silenced as I take off it's head while distracted. I then dive out of the way as the Ursai Major smashes its clawed arm into the ground where I was just standing. The ground is crushed with stone flying everywhere.

I continue to avoid the Alpha and go straight towards the other two Ursai. Ducking and weaving to dodge the swing of their arms, I position myself so that they are directly blocking the Alpha from getting to me. To my surprise the Alpha Ursai comes bulldozing over and crushes the two Ursai I was fighting to get to me.

Watching as the Alpha winds up to swing at me, I surprise it by sprinting straight towards it. Just before I get clawed to death I dive to slide on the ground and slip through between the Alpha legs to dodge the attack. As I slide through, I slash at its legs. The injury makes the alpha roar out in pain and drop to one knee. Taking advantage of the fact that I'm behind it, I jump onto it's back and aim my sword downwards. Using my full strength, I stab my sword through it's back and put an end to its life.

As soon as I pull out the sword, I get blown down onto the ground by a new Ursai tackling me. Unfortunately, I dropped my sword in the process and I'm pinned by bears sheer weight. The Ursai screams into my face and bites down into my unarmored right shoulder. My mind blanks out from the pain and all I can do for a moment is scream as I grab its head with my gauntlet covered left arm and try to pull it off of me. Not releasing me at all I quickly start channeling mana for a spell and stab my claw arm into the body of the Ursai and use **Bolt** to electrocute it. As the bear spasms in pain I continue to pour electricity into it until it finally loosens its jaw. I grit my teeth and push the bear off using all my strength. I quickly focus and cast **Cure** to heal away the serious wound inflicted by the bear bite. The cure fixes the wound but the fatigue remains and I feel the drain as my mana leaves me.

Surveying the battlefield, I see that some Beowolves are getting past me but the team has been able to take care of those stragglers. Suddenly out of the flaming wall comes a full dozen Ursai being led by another large Ursai Major. The giant bear and I stare at each other for a moment. Focusing for moment I check to see that my Limit Break that I've been feeding mana since the start of this melee is fully charged.

Concentrating for a moment I prime my Limit Break and funnel the energy into my fusion sword which now has visible arcs of lightning wrapped around it. As all twelve bears charge towards me with the Ursai Major leading the way, I wait for them to closer. Seeing them step into range I swing my sword and unleash **Blade Beam** at the Alpha. The blue lighting beam of energy as tall as the Alpha Ursai and a meter-thick wide crackles with explosive electrical energy as it flies forward faster than anyone can react.

The **Blade Beam** slams into the chest of the Alpha erupting in a deafening electrical boom that makes the bear scream. Not stopping there and acting like chain-lightning, the **Blade Beam** flies out the back of the Alpha where it divides into two smaller beams and shoots into the two Ursai nearby as if they were magnets. The **Blade Beam** repeats the same process of division and attack until all twelve bears are being shocked along with anything around it. Finally, the energy fizzles out and the twelve bears and Alpha along with anything around them are dead.

I breath heavily with sweat dripping down my face. The situation is starting to look dire as I can feel that my mana is about half gone. Luckily, I don't see any more Ursai Major for the moment. Cancelling **Haste** to conserve mana, I continue to fight on through my growing exhaustion and slowly get covered in cuts and bruises as time goes on. Instead of using **Cure** I start feeding my mana for another Limit Break. Right now what I need are offensive options to push back the Grimm.

Although **Cure** can remove most of my injuries on my body, I'll only get injured again if I can't do anything about the Grimm. Furthermore, **Cure** is extremely mana intensive to use. Once I'm out of mana I won't be able to stop them from getting through.

To my immense relief I finally see the lights of the airships we've been waiting for this whole time. We just need to hold the defensive line for a little bit longer so that the villagers and non-combatants can evacuate first. I fall back closer and closer to the orphanage before I'm standing again with my team. A quick check tells me that they are all still okay but worn out from the nonstop fighting. Looking at them I can see the hope in their eyes as they saw the airships as well. A few moments later a Dust flare ignites in the sky. That's the signal that all defensive teams can retreat and evacuate now.

Only for me to look forward and see the arrival of three Ursai Major accompanied by a ton of the standard Ursai who just got through the flame wall.

Thinking fast I decide to stay behind to push them back one last time. "You guys go ahead. I'll be right behind you"

Upon hearing me say those words, the team begin running to the field where the airships should have landed. Standing my ground the Grimm start putting their focus on me.

During my first spar against Garth I used **Finishing Touch** to launch him away from me. At the time my goal wasn't to hurt him and I only shot out a small concussive gust. This time I plan to push back the Grimm as far as I can to stall for a bit of time.

Putting away my sword, I take out Cerberus grab a bunch of my personal remaining Lightning Dust Crystals. Scanning for where my Dust Crystals would have the most impact, I hurl one into an approaching swarm and shoot it with Cerberus to make it explode into an electrical storm. I repeat this process with all the crystals I took out to thin the crowd, disorient the Grimm and push them back.

I unlatch my sword and continue to dodge and fight back against the Grimm close to me while I funnel more mana into my **Limit Break**. During all of this I make sure to watch the big group of Ursai as they approach**.**

Deciding that I can't stall anymore without getting overwhelmed I unleash my Limit Break **Finishing Touch** at maximum strength. Swinging my sword, I feel my **Limit Break** convert all the pent-up mana into concussive energy. The air in area of my swinging sword violently explodes like a hurricane as the howling concussive wave tears apart the ground and throws everything in front flying backwards. The group of Ursai and other Grimm get lifted off the ground and shoot backwards like a canon into themselves.

This is all I can do.

Ignoring my sudden exhaustion I channel mana into my wings and dash into the air to head towards the airship. I quickly get to the ship and eye the entrance to what I assume is the hangar and dive towards it. Failing to properly slow down because of how tired I am I crash onto the ramp and careen and tumble inside. Shortly after the airship takes off.

Once my vision stops spinning I see that everyone in the airship is looking at me in surprise.

A hand then appears in my vision offering to help me stand up. Grabbing the hand Qrow chuckles while pulling me up, "Nice landing their kid.".

Checking to see who's here in the Airship I notice that it's a smaller group than what we started with sadly. I slowly walk towards the group to check to see who made it safely.

But before I do, "Cloud!"

I hear Carla's voice and feel a hug which causes me to gasp in pain as she touches the bruises and cuts littering my body. She quickly apologizes and I smile at her while telling her it's okay. To be frank I'm relieved to see that she is here and happy that she is alright.

"Cloud come with me. Elizabeth needs you to help Garth!"

* * *

_Elizabeth at the orphanage before take-off_

Earlier, I had tried getting Carla to board the Airship first but she adamantly refused to get on and wants to wait for Cloud and the defending teams so that we can leave together. It's a bit risky but it should be okay since the defending teams should be retreating to board their own airship shortly. This stubborn little girl.

I look down and smile at Carla who I'd say is Cloud's biggest fan. Not a big surprise since Cloud was the one who saved her from the Grimm attack when he first arrived. It's cute how Carla has unwavering faith in Cloud and believes that he can do no wrong. I don't think Carla realizes it, but she has also been helping Cloud out too. I've tried and tried to get Cloud to open up to more people but I can see that it's hard for him to socialize. The number of times I've seen Cloud smile can probably counted on my two hands over the last six months. However, most of the time I see them is when he's spending time with Carla.

It was the same in reverse for Carla. Since her mother died Carla had really withdrawn herself from the world. Before Cloud arrived Carla didn't really talk to anyone besides me. Even during breakfast time where everyone gets together, Carla would arrive late so that she wouldn't have to spend that much time with other people. Now she waits to have breakfast together with Cloud pretty much every morning.

Thinking about Cloud, I remember my last conversation with Garth about him which was after the defense meeting. I saw Garth ask Cloud to stay behind for a private meeting. Out of curiosity I followed up with Garth to find out what they discussed. Hearing the meeting was about concerns regarding Cloud leading a team I found that I didn't quite have the same thoughts as Garth. I believe Cloud is a good choice to lead the defense of the East Street.

Although now that I think about it, Cloud probably doesn't think he's a great choice as a leader as well.

The leaders we need right now are those who can give their team confidence in the face of fighting the Grimm. Cloud gives people confidence through his presence and the way he conducts himself. Although he isn't that social and is a man of few words, what makes him a good choice is that he doesn't show fear. When Garth suddenly dropped the fact that Cloud was going to be the lead for one of the three defensive points, Cloud didn't fold at the heavy responsibility or react in terror. Most people that we have right now wouldn't have reacted as calmly, even if it was Lawrence. Emotions are contagious, especially the ones that the leader is displaying.

Another fact why Cloud is a good choice is because of his reputation in the village. Cloud probably isn't even aware of this since he's so introverted and because he never stays behind to socialize. The militia have another nickname for him besides **Mr. Angel** and its the **Grimm Reaper**.

The name was born from how everyone in the Village dreads and tries to avoid the routine Grimm extermination mission in the forest. A rotating schedule where you didn't go on every Grimm extermination mission was the only way to stop people from outright refusing to be in the militia. However, when it came to Cloud, he's been on every Grimm extermination mission for the last 6 months which no one has done.

Whereas everyone dreads and forcibly drags themselves to these missions, Cloud goes to every one of them and acts as if just another normal day even while killing the Grimm. Further cementing his name as the **Grimm Reaper** is the fact that if your seriously injured, your life is in Cloud's hands based on whether he heals you with his aura. Humorously, Garth had gotten everyone in militia to swear to keep secret Cloud's ability to heal. He warned them that if he found out any of them give away the secret, Cloud would not use his ability to heal them anymore.

Although Cloud hasn't built any relationships with the militia or villagers, they have immense respect for Cloud's skills. Because of his reputation, the people assigned to be on his team are probably happy to be with him.

I then hear the whining of machinery as the hangar door closes and the airship begins to take off. Finally, the boarding for the defensive team can begin. I grab our Dust flare signaling retreat for the defensive team and fire it off into the night sky. The next airship lands and I walk inside with Carla and head to the medibay to get ready to help treat those who are injured. Soon I see the defenders come in and I get busy helping clean, bandage and suture wounds. Carla wants to help so I get her to help grab me the things I need occasionally. I'm focused on doing my work when all of a sudden I hear my name.

"Elizabeth! Garth needs your help right now!"

I look up to see Lawrence carrying Garth on his back. Even from here I can see that Garth has a deep wound in his shoulder with blood pouring out still and I start getting worried.

Ushering him in I guide Lawrence to place Garth on a bed in a separate closed off room for emergency care, "Lawrence, what happen to Garth!"

Examining Garth's shoulder, I see that it's a deep puncture wound that must be from sort of fang. I grab a wet towel and start cleaning the wound to reduce potential infection while listening to Lawrence explain.

"I messed up... These giant snake Grimm attacked us towards the end before we could retreat to the airship. While rushing back I tripped and fell down because things were too chaotic. I thought I was going to die when I saw the snake lunge at me. That's when Garth dived in to block the attack for me. I guess his Aura was low already as we'd been fighting nonstop."

A snake? Most of the time snake Grimm don't have any poison but the rare ones do. We don't have anything that can deal with poison on the airship. Looking at Garth's pained expression as I bandage his wound, I see that the skin around the wound is turning slightly green. If it's a serious poison, then we need to buy enough time for Garth to get to a proper medical facility.

Looking down I see Carla who's anxious and worried to see Garth like this.

"Listen Carla, I need you to go out there and grab Cloud as soon as he gets here to help Garth. Can you do that for me?"

She nods her head and runs out the medical bay to wait in the hangar for Cloud. All we can do now is wait for Cloud to arrive and hope nothing happened to him. I listen to the shuffle of people running and walking on the ramp into the airship through the medibay door. Suddenly I hear a loud thump as if something crashed inside the airship. Shortly after I see Carla guiding a very bruised and injured Cloud into the medibay along with Qrow.

I start approaching Cloud to help him with his injures but he stops me by waving me off, " I'm alright. Elizabeth tell me what's wrong with Garth".

I update both Cloud and Qrow quickly on the situation dealing with Garth's snake bite. Qrow frowns as he considers the situation, "I've heard of some Huntsman who got bitten by a snake Grimm with poison and they usually don't last too long. I'm sure if we get him to a proper medical facility they can take care of it, but we still have quite a bit of a flight ahead of us".

Qrow's comment makes Carla burst into tears in fear that she is going to lose Garth. I bite my lip in frustration, there's not much I can do at all in this situation. Turning to Cloud in hope I see him still thinking. Finally, he turns to me to say. " I think I can do something to help Garth, but it won't fix the poison. I'll need some privacy though".

Realizing what he means by privacy Lawrence turns to grab Qrow and leave the room. Cloud resumes speaking as soon as Qrow is gone.

"I can use **Cure** to heal his injuries, but it won't remove the poison. However, it should buy him more time as it will heal up all the damage the poison has done. Think of it as emptying out all the water in a leaky boat. The hole which is the poison isn't removed but you'll have more time because the poison will have to restart the damage from the beginning again".

I nod my head in understanding but notice that he hasn't healed his own injuries. Why is he still so heavily injured when he can easily use his **Cure** to heal himself? Did he use too much mana during the fighting? Looking at him closer I can see that his eyes don't have the same glow that I'm used to seeing.

"Cloud do you not have enough mana?"

"I owe it to Garth to at least try to help".

I note that his reply is not a direct response to much question about his mana.

Cloud puts his glowing green hand on Garth's wound and begins to cast **Cure.** Knowing that there is nothing I can do to stop Cloud now, I stand beside him as I watch him use his ability to heal. No matter how many times I see it, I'm always blown away by Clouds mysterious healing ability. However, the consequences on Cloud for casting **Cure** without adequate mana becomes apparent.

Clouds face begins to pale while his expression shows that he's in obvious pain. Looking at the part of his left arm that's visible I can see the splotches of Geostigma appear and black ooze coming out of his gauntlet. As soon as Garth's wound is knit closed Cloud cancels his healing ability. I catch Cloud before he falls and help move him to take a seat in a chair beside Garth. Settling Cloud down I ask him if he's needs a Lightning Dust Crystal.

Shaking his head, "I've already taken a Lightning Dust Crystal earlier today. I'm going to have to be patient and wait until tomorrow"

Seeing Cloud's health deteriorate before Carla's eyes must have startled her because she runs up beside cloud with teary eyes to ask him what's wrong. I can see that Cloud is too exhausted to properly answer her, so I answer the question. "Cloud is just get's a little sick if he uses his skills too much in a day. He'll be okay and just needs some rest and will be better tomorrow".

I hear Cloud's pained breath slow before he falls asleep in the chair. Seeing that Cloud has fallen asleep, Carla places a chair beside Cloud and runs off. She soon returns with a blanket and climbs onto the seat beside him before throwing a blanket over the both of them. Chuckling to myself at Carla's protectiveness, I go to take care of the other patients as it looks like my assistant plans to stay with Cloud for the rest of the flight.

* * *

**Author Notes**

**This chapter was ****extremely**** combat heavy and I hope it was both entertaining and the action was easy to follow. ****The next chapter will deal with the aftermath and end this arc of the story****. **

**I don't want Cloud to be overpowered so at this point he has only used spells that are related to the materia he was sent to Remnant in. That means the spell he uses are Haste, Cure and Bolt for the moment. My goal is to have Cloud seamlessly fit into the world of RWBY with what you would expect him capable of doing. Let me know what your thoughts are on Clouds skills and abilities in a review.**

**I'd appreciate a review even if its just a single sentence. Let me know if you want me to continue the story as the next arc would be bridging the gap and getting Cloud to meet RWBY characters at Beacon.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Cloud - Medical room in Beacon

I wake up because of the sound of people speaking but I can't quite make out what their saying because of my throbbing brain. The headache is from overdrafting on mana which I'm too familiar with. In addition to my headache, my body is sending me constant painful reminders that my Geostigma is active.. Combine these issues together and I'm feeling more than a bit delirious and feverish.

Trying not to groan out loud and expose the fact that I'm awake I keep my eyes closed and try to decipher what the voices are talking about. I only end up being able to make out a word here and there.

"Injuries... strange... recovery..._** conduct more tests**_"

Tests ?! Those last three words trigger an immediate flood of adrenaline into my system as I panic. Those three words, Conduct More Tests, led to a four year nightmare and torture that I never want to relive.

Slowly peeking my eyes open to avoid detection I quickly scan around to see what kind of situation I'm in.

The room is a simple medical facility of some sort. Checking myself I see I've been disarmed and I'm wearing a medical gown and none of my usual equipment is around. Luckily my claw gauntlet is still equipped and I can easily use it as a weapon. You need to channel a tiny bit of mana to unlock my gauntlet so that is most likely reason why they didn't take it off.

I spy that the room has two men in it and no one I'm familiar with. One is an older man with silver hair in a dark green suit and a green scarf, the other man has green hair and looking over a chart with a pen. They are both relatively near me as well. Checking for an escape route I see a window on the other side of the room.

An idea forms in my mind for how to escape and I immediately act on it. I take a deep breath and move the next instant. Springing up out of the bed I move quickly enough that both of them can't react in their surprise. I lunge to wrap my arm around the green haired man and threaten him with my clawed gauntlet. Keeping my claw where I can pierce his neck I secure him as my hostage and look at the silver haired man coldly to make my demands.

"Don't move or I'll kill him", my own voice comes out raspy and I can feel how my throat is like sandpaper.

Immediately the man with silver hair raises both his hands up.

"We mean you no harm. Please don't do anything rash"

I don't say anything in reply. I'm too busy trying to stay focused on my escape plan through my feverish mind. Get to the window, is the mantra I'm chanting in my mind to stay focused.

Slowly one painful step at a time I'm getting closer.

"You were injured and we took you here to help you with your wounds.", says the silver haired man as he tries to defuse the situation calmly.

Injured? What was I doing before. I don't quite recall with my hazy mind. As I take my next step I notice the bandages around some of my cuts. It looks like what he says is true when it comes to taking care of my wounds. However, treating me doesn't mean much. It could just be that they want a healthy specimen instead of an injured one. Finally arriving at the window , I glance out to see that we are high up above the ground floor.

The man with silver hair takes a step forward and I react right away, "Stop ! Don't move, I'm warning you"

Freezing on the spot the silver haired man speaks his next words slowly, "We just wanted to do some more test. You aren't healing properly like other huntsman who have their aura unlocked."

Hearing his three words, just some more test, trigger panic in me. Staring at him coldly I let him know what I think in my delirium.

"I'd rather be dead than a test subject for you"

Focus cloud, you can't let them test you. They'll find out you don't really have Aura becaue you use mana instead. That your DNA and blood are different than those in Remnants. It won't be hard to find something interesting about you because I'm from another world and then they'll lock me up and never let me go.

I quietly try flexingmy wings to confirm that they are in working. Just as soon as I finish confirming that they are fine, I hear a door opening. Walking into an unexpected situation are the only three people I trust in Remnant.

"Cloud your awake!"

A familiar routine at this point. Carla runs up to me to give me a hug, ignoring the fact that I'm holding a man hostage because I'm still trying to process the situation.

Chuckling at the strange sight of me holding a man and Carla holding me in turn, Garth ask in amusement, "Kid what are you doing?"

What am I doing? I thought I was trying to make a brave attempt at escaping for freedom from the clutches of evil scientist. Now I just don't know what is going on.

The man with silver hair answers Garth question as I stayed silently confused, "Cloud was just very resistant to the idea of us conducting some tests on him"

Elizabeth frown indicated that she was not as amused as Garth with the situation. "Cloud I spent a lot of effort fixing you up. You should still be lying down. Carla get Cloud back on the bed"

I guess I might as well let my hostage go. Lowering my arms I release my hostage much to his relief. Carla helps me get back to the bed, my nerves and body pulse in pain with each step that I take. I contemplate why my injuries aren't healing that quickly and I would guess its because of the Geostigma. The nature of the virus is that it attacks the functions of my body and it's probably what's impeding recovery. Sitting back on the bed finally I collect myself enough to ask a question, " Where are we right now ?"

Elizabeth explains how I passed out after using Cure and we headed straight to Beacon academy to treat Garth. Turns out the man wlth silver hair in the suit was Ozpin the headmaster of Beacon academy and the green haired man was a professor named Oobleck.

I was brought to the infirmary on their suggestion because my body wasn't healing itself very quickly and Elizabeth was concerned. Garth had suddenly awoken so Elizabeth and Carla had left briefly to visit. While they were gone, that's when I woke up and overheard Ozpin and Oobleck thinking of conducting some tests to figure out what was stopping the healing process as Huntsman usually would have started healing by now.

Now caught up with the situation, Elizabeth went to grab a Dust storage box to give me a Lightning Dust Crystal. I really need it right now but hold it hesitantly in my hand.

"Kid you can trust Ozpin and the staff here. I already told him about the Geostigma"

To be honest I feel a bit betrayed that Garth would tell someone about my Geostigma. It was rather personal after all. Ignoring it for the moment I swallow the Lightning Dust Crystal and feel it work its magic. The pain from Geostigma lightens up along with the markings.

"Remarkable that you are able to consume the Lightning Dust Crystal. Surprised you don't explode from the energy", stated Oobleck in interest.

"Well now that everyone is awake we have a lot we need to discuss. I recommend that we change to a more appropriate location for our conversation in the conference room. If you are feeling well enough now Cloud you are invited to join us. I'll have someone bring you your items"

I agree to join them in the meeting and start changing my clothes and putting on my equipment after they leave. As I slip on my familiar red cape on I notice how damage it looks and all the holes. Channeling my mana into it, the magic begins to help the red cape regenerate from the damage and restore itself. One of the very useful features of the red cape and why Vincent never went without it.

Standing in front of the mirror to check if anything is out of place, I look at my wings in consideration. My experiences travelling outside of Lightning Keep taught me that people aren't always nice to Faunas. It'll be safer and moreconvenient if people consider me to be a normal human.

I channel mana into my wings to dematerialize and withdraw them for now. I then leave the room to join everyone else for the meeting.

* * *

_Conference room in Beacon Academy_

When I entered everyone was already seated at the rectangular table. Sitting at the head of the table was Ozpin who upon seeing me gestured at a seat beside Garth, "So glad you could join us Cloud. We were just about to begin the conversation about what we knew about the White Fang. "

I can't help but scowl and feel angry at the mention of that group as I go to my seat. They destroyed my home and tried to I kidnap Carla. Then there were all those innocent villagers that they had killed.

Justifying themselves saying they support Faunas. From what I seen they weren't advocating for Faunas in Remnant at all and only served to fuel the feud the conflict.

Garth then summarized the events of the other day. How White Fang had sabotaged and set the Dust storage building ablaze, their attack and attempt to take children in exchange for weapons. Ending with the defense against the Grimm.

Ozpin quietly listened to the narration before pausing to think," hearing what happened is troubling. I've heard that the White Fang isnt as united as they were in the past. That there is now a small group within the White Fang that is even more extremist. I wonder if it was that extremist group that is the responsible for all of this."

"What do you mean extremists group?", questioned Garth.

"They White Fang Extremist believe faunas to be the superior race that should be ruling. As a result they are focused on enhancing their faunas based abilities and strength. Sadly, they even look down on other Faunus who choose to associate with humans. Their viewpoint makes them very dangerous".

Based on what Ozpin just said I guess kidnapping children in exchange for weapons weapons would not be beneath them at all.

"Regardless, the fact that there is a supplier who is willing to trade weapons with them is alarming. ", continued Ozpin.

Garth who had been clearly growing more angry as he listened to the explanation slammed his fist on the table. "Ozpin, I'd like to be reinstated as an active huntsman "

It didn't seem like the announcement surprised Ozpin too much,"Well it would be good to have you back Garth. I assume it's because you want to look into this extremist group of the White Fang. ".

Garth nodded his head solemnly," That attack on Lightning Keep destroyed my retirement plans. I was also friends with the villagers that they ended up killing. I owe it to them to stop these monsters ."

Lightning keep was home for all of us. Those who had lived there just wanted to earn a living. Now everything was gone because of the White fang.

"For the villagers that you were able to rescue we have a relocation program in Vale to support them in getting a new home. Sadly, villages or small town getting destroyed occur often enough that these relocation programs are necessity.", said Ozpin.

Well at least there was a plan in place as next steps for the survivors.

"Now I would like to know what the rest of you plan to do. Garth has stated his request which I will be happy to , I take it you want to continue to do what you did before. I believe you were at Lightning Keep orphanage and helping children?"

She nods in response.

"There is a orphanage in Vale that I could introduce you to that would be more than happy to have your help. They will be able to provide you accommodation as well. I'm assuming that Carla will be going with you?"

"Yes, she will be coming with me. I'd also like to put her into school if possible."

"There are school in Vale that she can go to. However just so that you are aware, the good schools all charge tuition for enrollment."

Elizabeth and Garth both turned to look at each other. From what I know the both of them didn't have that much in terms of money saved. "We'll figure something out.", stated Elizabeth.

Everyone now turned to look at me. "Now, last is what you plan to do Cloud."

What was I going to do? Just the other day I was thinking that I would continue to live happily at Lightning keep with everyone. That plan has literally gone up in smoke. I had saved a bit to travel Remnant but was it what I wanted to do right now? Aaerith had mentioned that Remnant needed my help because of Jenova corruption but I still hadn't figured out what that meant. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the Grimm. Nothing I read had any information on how the Grimm came to be. I needed to go out and investigate it myself.

"I'm not sure. This is all pretty sudden. I was considering traveling to see more of Remnant. Maybe doing mercenary work to earn l money when needed", I stated in reply to Ozpin.

"Well I'd like to make you an offer Cloud. What do you think of becoming a Huntsman? It would be similar to being a Mercenary. Based on what you said you desire, you'd be able to travel as a Huntsman while making money and doing good at the same time.", asked Ozpin.

Becoming a Huntsman was an interesting idea but I'm sure I would lose some of my freedom to act however I wanted. Would it be better than going independent?

"I've heard that you have amnesia so in case you're not aware, Beacon Academy is a prestigious school known for training Huntsman. Typically, you have go to a combat school prior as well as pass a strict entrance test before the possibility of being admitted. However, Garth has already given me his personal endorsement that you more than pass the requirements to enroll at my academy to become a Huntsman."

I'm surprised by this as Garth has never once ask me if I wanted to be a Huntsman or mention the fact that he was going to recommend and endorse me to the academy.

"I've known Garth for years and this is the first time he's ever personally endorsed anyone. I also trust his judgement. Based on what I've heard about your contributions in defending against the Grimm, I would agree that you are qualified. To be honest I think the world needs more Huntsman like you so if you choose to enroll, Beacon will cover the tuition fees needed for Carla to go to school."

"...Thank you for the offer Ozpin but If it's alright with you I'd like some time to think about it"

"Of course, you don't need to rush your decision right now. However, the initiation for new Huntsman will begin in two days so you will need to decide by then. For now, all of you can stay here at the Academy dorms to rest."

* * *

_Back at Cloud's Room_

Carla wanted to spend time with me doing her favorite activity which is reading a book together. Which is why Carla is in my room and we are sitting on the bed. Regardless of the fact that she is a cat-eared Faunus, I've always just seen her as a little girl. However, now that I look at how she's curled up happily reading, she does kind of remind me of a cat.

As I pretend to read and stroke her black hair, I think about what should I do now. Everything has been a whirlwind of nonstop action without a moment to think about the future. Would becoming a Huntsman really align with what I want to accomplish?

Honestly, yesterday had been a disaster. I had tried to save the people the White Fang had taken prisoner at the village center as prisoners but failed. My plan to take the commander hostage didn't work and people had died as a result. That was the same when I led the team on the East Street defense. Granted the two that died didn't follow my plan, but I had chosen to not act and focus on keeping the others alive. I can't help but wonder if Zack who I look up to and had been my best friend when he was alive would have done what I did. After all, I'm only alive because Zack refused to leave me behind when I could barely function, and he sacrificed his life so I could live on. Zack had asked me with his last words to live on and honor his dreams and legacy of being a hero.

It's also only now that I understand how terrifying the Grimm are after experiencing it myself. They were literally coming at us as an endless wave. Relentless in their pursuit and heedless of their own injuries or how many of them would die in their attempt to kill us. I can see why people consider Grimm to be the greatest threat to Human and Faunas survival. Then there's the White Fang. It's not enough that the world has to deal with the Grimm as a threat, they purposely bring destruction to achieve their own goals.

_*knock knock* _

"Kid its me, open up the door I think we should talk", spoke a gruff through the door.

Letting Garth in, he takes a seat on the chair beside me and Carla. He doesn't say anything for a few minutes and neither do I. To be honest I'm still kind of annoyed at Garth.

"Elizabeth is resting up right now and asked me to check up on you. So kid... How you doing?"

"You told Ozpin about my Geostigma without asking me"

I hear Garth sigh and I guess he hears the annoyance in my voice, "Listen, that was way back when you first arrived. I was in charge of protecting Lightning Keep and you were some stranger who appeared out of nowhere with abilities that I've never heard of or seen before. I wanted to make sure you weren't a threat, so I asked Ozpin to look into you to see if anything turned up"

I can't fault Garth on his Logic since he was responsible for protecting Lightning Keep. Still understanding his reasoning doesn't make me feel better. Academies like Beacon must have a lot of political power as Huntsmen and Huntresses are responsible for killing Grimm and upholding the peace. As headmaster, I wonder if Ozpin was able to find out any information about me.

"What did Ozpin find out about me?", I ask cautiously.

"Nothing at all. It's as if you didn't exist at all. I'm sorry but there isn't anything to help you recover your memories before you appeared"

Well that's good to hear. Seems like Garth is misunderstanding why I asked as he thinks I'm looking for clues to my lost memories. I'd be surprised if Ozpin found anything since there should be nothing. Regardless I still want to keep a low profile for now so I'll try not to do anything that makes me stand out too much.

"What did you tell Ozpin"

"You can trust Ozpin. I've worked with him for years when I was an active Huntsman. But I told him about your abilities and lack of memories. If he thought you are a threat he wouldn't invite you to the academy."

Can I afford to trust Ozpin? People in powerful position in my experience have usually been corrupt. Does Ozpin have some sort of hidden agenda behind inviting me to the Academy? I don't know enough about him to trust him at this point. Still he did offer an opportunity for me to become a Huntsman.

As I think about becoming a Huntsman, I look back at Garth. I know that he wants to be reinstated as Huntsman from our meeting earlier but why did he stop?

"Garth why did you stop being an active Huntsman?"

Hearing my question Garth looks silently away from me. I wait patiently as he gathers his thoughts.

"I'm sure you heard from Elizabeth that her mom was the one who found me wounded in a forest. It was actually during a mission where I was investigating the White Fang. Turns out they were looking for me too. A Faunas man named Adam Tauras was trying recruit me and I said no and well... You don't say no to the White Fang anymore."

I could tell that these were unpleasant memories for Garth.

"I got injured getting away by I wasn't in the best of shape at the time anyways. Had been doing missions nonstop for a while. Never give myself time off because I felt I owed it to my friends and teams who had passed on to give my best."

Leaning back into his chair Garth slowly continued his story.

"I spent a week at Lightning keep with Elizabeth and her mom getting better. It gave me time to re-evaluate myself and I decided that I should take a break. That it would be okay. I wanted to repay them for their kindness so I let them know that I would be back in a month after I finished the mission I was in the middle of. Thought I'd vacation at Lightning Keep since it was a quiet place and out of the way."

Garth then sighed and stopped for a few moments.

"When I came back to Lightning Keep I learned that it was a few days before I got there that a Grimm attacked occurred and that Elizabeth's mom had died as a result. The Village knew that the Grimm were coming so I asked why they didn't request a Huntsman. Turns out they request a Huntsman every time but they're too far in the outskirts. There are just not enough active Huntsman. Seeing how Elizabeth was left on her own now... I decide to stay and help out and my break at Lightning kept continuing."

Looking back at me, " That is until I met you kid and you know the rest of the story."

A silence settles between us again as Garth pauses to gathers his thoughts. "Kid there's another reason I came here and it's because I wanted to tell you that I think you did really well yesterday at Lightning Keep"

"Thanks Garth", I state back at his comment casually.

He frowns at my short reply, knowing that I didn't take what he was saying seriously. ,"Cloud I know people got hurt when you tried saving people at the village center. I also know that not everyone on your defense team made it out. However, I know for a fact no one else could have done better than you. Everyone needed you to stop the Grimm from coming down East Street and you did exactly that. If you failed... a lot of people wouldn't be here."

"..."

"Have you decided whether you are going to take up Ozpin's offer to become a Huntsman?"

"No I haven't settled yet on whether I should or not"

Leaning forward Garth looks me in the eyes as he says, "I know I didn't ask your opinion on whether you wanted to be a Huntsman. You've got skills and experience that would go to waste if you chose to be a mercenary. I've also known you long enough to know that you have a good heart. You made a difference yesterday and saved lives and stepped up when you were needed. I chose to endorse you to Ozpin because I truly believe the world needs someone like you. You should be a Huntsman."

Carla who had been listening to our conversation decided to throw her opinion in along with a hug, "You would make a great Huntsman Cloud. The best in the world since you are already a hero"

I look down at Carla's smiling face and hug her back. I'm honestly touched at what they both said and it was good to hear from Garth that he thought I made a difference yesterday.

I smiled back at the both of them, "Well after you both said all that it's kind of hard to say no now. I guess I'll just go ahead and tell Ozpin and start getting ready for the Huntsman initiation."

"That's good to hear", says Garth while smiling back at me.

* * *

**Author Notes**

**Starting next chapter will be familiar territory for those of you who are familiar with RWBY. **

**Please leave me a review and let me know which RWBY character you are looking forward to interacting with Cloud the most. **

**Someone left a review asking why I de-aged Cloud. The reason why was because I had wanted Cloud to go to Beacon and I thought it would be weird if he was significantly older than everyone else. When it comes to Cloud's mental age I think it could work since Cloud spent 4 years as a experimental subject in Hojo's lab and probably at least a year to recuperate. I think it also makes for a more interesting story if Cloud is the same age as everyone else and isn't seen as senior huntsman. **

**Either way I thought it made enough sense to make him younger and I also claim creative freedom over the story direction in my defense !**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author notes: If you want to know what Cloud's attire looks like, it's the outfit he wears in the first Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_Initiation Day at Beacon Academy_

Blake Belladona was trying to stay under the radar as she arrived at Beacon and walked through the crowd of new students.

It was still pretty recent since I abruptly left the White Fang and Adam. Right now, blending in was of paramount importance to me and its why I'm wearing a bow to cover my Faunas cat ears. Attending Beacon was my opportunity to turn a new leaf and make a positive change through being a huntress. As I'm walking through the crowd, I'm broken out of my thoughts when I see something strange in my periphery.

Turning I see the peculiar sight of a teenage boy with the spikiest blond hair I've ever seen. Directly sitting on his shoulder is a cat-eared Faunas girl with black hair wearing black leggings white shorts with a long draping blue shirt overtop who is happily directing the blond teenage boy around.

As I'm baffled by the sight of the two of them off to the side of the crowd, all of a sudden the little cat girl looks my way and instantly points at me. I get a sinking feeling in my gut because Faunus can sense other Faunus. It's an unspoken rule that Faunus just pretend not to notice others who are the same unless they indicate that they want to identify publicly as Faunus. However, this girl might be too young to understand.

Not even ten minutes into Beacon and I feel like my cover might be blown already. The boy stops to look in my direction because of the Faunus girl before he takes her off his shoulder and puts her on the floor. Pausing for a moment I decide to walk over to them to see if I can do some damage control. As I get closer to the pair of them I notice boy's strange attire. He's wearing a fairly long red cape that wraps around his neck like a scarf and on his left arm is a gold gauntlet that begins at his elbow and ends with what looks like claws. I would consider him to be decently handsome and has a somewhat effeminate face.

A silly thought crosses my mind that he would come off as pretty if he were a girl... Maybe I've been reading too many romance novels.

Just as soon as I arrive in front of those two, Glynda suddenly appears. Glynda is a strict looking older woman with her hair tied up into a bun and appears to be looking to speak with the blonde teenage boy.

"Cloud, Ozpin would like to speak to you privately for a moment."

So his name is Cloud. I watch as Cloud looks down at the cat-eared Faunas girl. Glynda notices Cloud's concern before she becomes aware that I'm standing here as well.

"Don't worry about the girl Cloud", Glynda states to ease Cloud's worries." Miss Blake Belladona here can look after her while you speak with Ozpin.". Turning to look me directly in the eye, "I assume it won't be a problem for you to look after her for a few moments ?".

I nod back in response to Glynda. Can't really say no when you request it from me like that...

The blonde haired teenager then looks at me with an expression that I'd best describe as... indifference.

"Please take care of her. I'll be back soon", says Cloud before turning away from me and walking off with Glynda.

Looking down, I see the little girl I'm now in g charge of smile back at me before saying, " Don't worry, Cloud is a nice person even if he looks mean. My name is Carla by the way. ".

Cute, she thinks I'm offended by Cloud unfriendliness. I smile back at her in response. However, it's strange to see a Human and Faunas together. She's also far too young to be a new student at Beacon as well. Where is her family?

"Well it's nice to meet you Carla. My name is Blake Belladona. Where is your family?".

She frowns at my question and looks down while putting on an expression that I know can only mean one thing, "My family isn't here anymore..."

Ugh, but the best conversation starter. The poor girl is on her own at such a young age. A moment passes between us as I try to figure out what to say next. Before I can come up with something, she looks up at me and points at her own cat ears.

"Uh... I wanted to ask you if you were the same as me?"

At least she is a little bit discreet about asking. To be less intimidating and more friendly I kneel down so we are both eye-level, smile and nod.

"Can you keep it a secret? I don't want other people to find out."

I watch as she puts on a determined face and nods, "I can keep a secret".

I thank the goddess as I sigh in relief. Maybe my cover and anonymity isn't blown yet if Carla can keep it a secret. She must only temporarily be here at Beacon anyways. "Thank you Carla I appreciate it. I hope we can be friends."

Carla smiles brightly at hearing me mention being friends. "You should be friends with Cloud too. He doesn't have a lot of friends, but I think he would like you."

Doesn't have a lot of friends? I guess I can see that since he didn't come off as the friendliest person.

Looking at Carla I start to get concerned thinking about how she has no family and is alone. Being by herself makes her an easy target for Faunas haters.

"Carla if you ever need anything you can come to me... Also is Cloud the one taking care of you right now?"

She answers my question by nodding enthusiastically. Although she looked pretty happy with Cloud I can't help but worry about whether he is treating her right. There have been terrible stories about humans taking in Faunas children and mistreating them behind closed doors.

Looking at her I decide to hesitantly ask," Carla... Does Cloud treat you well?".

She answers me with a smile, "Cloud treats me really well! He's the best!"

"That's good but if he ever does anything to... hurt you, you can come to me and I'll help you.".

"Why would Cloud hurt me?"

"Well... Some humans don't like Faunas and don't show it until later."

The little girl expression starts to pout and I can see that my attempt at reassuring her that she can come to me for anything only made her mad. It seems that she really values her relationship with Cloud.

"Cloud would never do anything to hurt me! He saved me when the Grimm attacked me and promised to protect me. Cloud saved all the people in our village and is a hero".

He saved her? My time in the White Fang must have really jaded me more than I thought. I can't help but feel a bit skeptical hearing that a human would help a Faunas and take care of a child out of pure good will. It must have shown on my face as Carla continued.

"Besides Cloud isn't like other humans. He's like us.".

What? What does she mean that he is like us? Thinking back to Cloud appearance I don't remember anything about him that looked like Faunus traits. Could he have something that's easy to hide? When I was standing near him I noticed that he did have a strange scent.

Carla's immediate reaction tells me she wasn't supposed to share that information as her eyes queen and presses both hands over her mouth. Maybe Cloud is hiding the fact that he is a Faunus just like me?

Smiling back at Carla I tell her, "Don't worry, I can keep it a secret. Does Cloud know about me? "

Carla shakes her head and we move on from the subject and make casual conversation to pass the time. However, I can't help but keep going over Cloud appearance and whether he really is a Faunas. I don't get the sense that he is one and his scent clearly doesn't support the fact that he might be.

As I think about how strange it is, I can't help but be reminded about something that was briefly mentioned by Adam. That part of the group was experimenting with ways on how to hide their Faunus traits to better infiltrate human society. Could Cloud be one of those experimental Faunus from the White Fang? It would explain why he's so friendly with Carla who is a Faunus. I shiver at the thought that he's part of the White Fang. However, carefully thinking it over its too much of a stretch to connect Cloud with the White Fang. The way Carla looks up to Cloud and mention he saved her also helps reduce my suspicions.

My casual conversation with Carla ends when she spots her favorite person and yells out his name before running to hug him. I watch as Cloud smiles in response to Carla and bends down to hug her back. The entire time I'm watching Cloud closely. Cloud then turns to smile at me, " Thank you for watching Carla".

For a moment I'm blown away by the difference a smile on his face makes. Especially when compared to how indifferent he looked when he first spoke to me. Examining him more closely I notice for the first time that he has greenish-blue eyes that are practically glowing as if there is a light behind them. It then hits me that I haven't replied back to him and had been standing here staring at him.

"Uh... It wasn't a problem and Carla is a sweet girl. It's a pleasure to meet you. My Name is Blake and I guess you're here as a new student?"

"Yea I'm a new student. My name is Cloud".

I stand there awkwardly not knowing what to say as I watch Cloud listens to Carla talk about random things.

"I guess I'll see you later Cloud. I'll head in first".

* * *

_Beacon Auditorium_

After spending a bit more time with Carla outside I took her back so that Elizabeth can watch over her. Now I'm standing in the back at the Auditorium waiting for Ozpin to start his introduction speech. As I look around at the people who have been admitted into Beacon, I see that they are all around my age. These will be the people that I end up fighting beside in the future. I know I shouldn't judge people based on their appearances but I can't help but think that these people wouldn't be my first pick. So far I've kept to myself and haven't talked to anyone else other than Blake earlier. She seems like a nice person and I was surprised that Carla was happy being with her. From what I know of Carla she is like me and prefers to keep to herself.

I then hear the auditorium speakers pop because of someone tapping on the microphone. Hearing someone clear their throats I look up to see Ozpin standing on stage gathering everyone attention. The previous murmur of the crowd goes silent as we focus on listening what the Headmaster on stage has to say. Standing beside Ozpin in the background I see Glynda as well.

"I'll... keep this brief," Ozpin announced as he stared out towards all of us.

"You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction."

To be honest I'm surprised. I was expecting him to say something inspirational to rally the students together but instead it's kinda negative. Ozpin then continued, "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Ending right there, Ozpin walked off the stage and then Glynda came up to the microphone to provide some final direction to the new students. I sigh when it turns out I need to stay with everyone in the ballroom and that initiation starts tomorrow.

* * *

_Beacon Ballroom_

I arrive in the ballroom to discover that all the students are staying together and sleeping here. Ugh, I can't help but feel uncomfortable being in such a large crowd. Which is why I brought my fusion sword with me. That and the fact that it was not your standard sized sword and couldn't fit in most of the typical storage units at Beacon. There was also the fact that I didn't trust other people to look after my own equipment. Besides, Glynda had said that initiation starts tomorrow morning and I had cleared having my sword equipped with Ozpin.

This is going to be a long night. My enhanced senses include hearing and I'm a light sleeper. A good night's sleep is going to be next to impossible. Looking for a good spot for myself I scan the area and see Blake over by the wall and looks to be reading. There also so happens to be a decently empty spot beside her as well so I start heading over in her direction.

As I get closer, she notices me and we both greet each other before I settle down beside her, "I hope you don't mind if I stay here."

Looking back at me I notice that she has very unique gold colored eyes, "It's no problem at all.", she says will a small smile. She goes back to focusing on her reading and a comfortable silence falls between us.

I close my eyes and try to rest as best I can. However, all of the constant chatter in the ballroom makes it too difficult.

"Helooooooo!"

Interrupting my attempt at rest, I open my eyes to see a long blonde-haired girl in an orange tank top and black shorts come over to talk to Blake. Being dragged by the band along for the ride was another girl with short black hair and a black tank top with white sweatpants that had a heart design. Were the two of them friends of Blake's?

The Blonde smiled at Blake before pointing at the girl beside her and remarking, " I believe you two know each other?".

"Aren't you the girl that exploded? " Blake stated in a flat tone while looking at the shorter girl.

Exploded? That's a strange way of meeting. They combine their conversation and I overhear that the black haired girl is Ruby and the Blonde is Yang.

I try not to eavesdrop but it's impossible not to overhear their conversation being so close to them. Ruby and Yang mentioned that they were also sisters but to me they look nothing alike. I chuckle to myself as I can't help but be amused at how the two girls are trying to talk to Blake who wants to be left alone to read.

However, I start paying a attention when they talk about Blake's book. It's a book about a man with two souls fighting each other for control. Hearing that sends a shiver down my spine as I think about my past. A part of Hojo's experiments on me was injecting Jenova cells into me. As a result I had struggled with Jenova's influence over my mind and it had felt like something was invading my soul.

Breaking me out of my thoughts, I all of a sudden see a pair of legs in front of me. Looking up I see Ruby staring at me strangely. Wait a minute... it's not me that she's staring at but my fusion sword.

"Can I help you with something?"

Their previous conversation brought up bad memories so I say that more coldly than I had meant to.

"OH ! Uh sorry... I was umm... I just couldn't help it but…"

Her reaction to my question is not what I expected. She's fidgeting as if there are ants in her pajama pants.

With an exasperated sigh her sister Yang comes to the rescue. Walking over to talk to me with a smile," Hi there handsome. This is my sister Ruby who forgot to introduce herself. Don't mind her she's a weapon maniac and your sword caught her eye".

Glancing back, I look at Ruby who has a strange gleam in her eyes as she practically drools while looking at the fusion sword.

"I see you're not joking. My name is Cloud"

Ruby chooses this moment to snap back to reality. "Oh Hello. Hi Cloud. Nice to meet you and your sword... Uh I mean. It's good to meet you specifically. The sword is really nice too though and I'm glad to meet it.".

Well now, it looks like I met someone who can help me feel better about my social skills.

Sighing again Yang turns to me, "I'll ask for my sister. Sorry, but can my sister take a look at your sword?".

Ruby's eyes light up like a Christmas tree upon receiving hope that there is an opportunity to look at my sword. Her facial expression is glowing with excitement, like a puppy about to get a treat. To be honest I'm surprised she didn't just grab it by now. She's like Yuffie, the ninja girl I met who had an almost fatal attraction to Materia. I pause to think about it for a moment before standing up to hand it to her.

"Careful, it's very heavy"

I keep the blade facing down to reduce the risk of her hurting herself and pass it by the handle to Ruby to hold. As I pass my sword to Ruby, she reaches out with both hands to receive it carefully as if it were like a cup of water being given to a woman dying in the dessert.

Once I know she has both hands on the grip, I let my hand go and I can see her smiling face change into shock as she strains herself to keep the sword from falling onto the ground. However she manages to keep it up.

"Ugh.. This sword is really heavy. It weights a ton"

"It can't be that happy", says Yang while rolling her eyes.

"It really is !"

Perking up in interest Yang takes over holding the sword for Ruby to examine. "Wow, it really is heavy"

Now freely able to examine it, Ruby slowly circles the sword to check every detail,

"I have NEVER seen a sword designed like this. This is such a unique and beautiful design... These extra edges are like parts of different blades... Is it custom made? Does it have any inbuilt gun functions to fire projectiles?"

I'm pleased with her assessment since I was the one who designed it. Feeling a smile stretch across my face I say to her, "It's designed this way because it's actually a fusion sword. Its made up of six different blades of different styles. No there isn't any inbuilt gun functions at all."

Hearing that it's a blade is made up of smaller blades gets Yang's interest and she starts looking at the sword more closely. " Oh, I can see parts of the blades that make up the sword. No wonder why it's so heavy, I'm literally holding up a bunch of swords.", Yang states as she continues to look.

Being Ruby's first time hearing about a sword designed like this I'm impressed that she can get even more excited, "OH ! Can you show me how it combines together please ! PLEASE ! This is amazing I've never heard of anything like this before. Who designed it ?!".

If you want guaranteed reputation points with a swordsman, you compliment how nice their sword is. For such an adoring fan, I decide I can humor her and show her the blades mechanics.

I take the sword back from Yang, channel my mana into the fusion sword and with a few sparks the blade whirs and allows me to disassemble it into its six separate swords which I put on the floor.

Looking down Ruby picks up one of the smaller blades in amazement.

"The fusion sword was actually my own design. I'm comfortable dual wielding and this gives me more options to mix my fighting style up".

"Why not add a inbuilt gun system to it ? Most huntsman have that feature and gunblades are very popular."

I shake my head back at her, "I consider myself a swordsman so I prefer to just focus on using a blade. I have a handgun that I can use if I need to but I prefer not to.".

Yang hearing my statement laughs a bit. "Sounds like handsome here is a bit of a traditionalist Rubes. He's like an honorable knight except he's like six of them in one". I blush a bit from Yang's calling me handsome while taking the blade away from Ruby and putting the fusion sword back together. As I recombine the fusion sword and combine the blades one at a time. Ruby is utterly mesmerized watching the fusion mechanic as they perfectly meld back together.

All of a sudden Yang walks closer to me before leaning forward close to my face, "I didn't introduce myself earlier but my name is Yang. Nice to meet you handsome.".

She's gotten close enough that I feel uncomfortable. I also couldn't help but get an accidental eyeful of her cleavage when she leaned in. Yang has a rather ... sizable bust. In fact, she is probably comparable to Tifa's. The fact that I just thought to compare their chest makes me blush even harder.

Yang smiles at me knowing that I had took a look at her chest, "Say Cloud, did anyone ever tell you that you have beautiful eyes?".

"Uhh.. maybe ? I guess ? I mean I don't really pay attention because they are my eyes".

"..."

I'm at a completely at a loss of words because of this girl.

Ruby crosses her arms and frowns, "Yang, don't make fun of Cloud. He just did me a favor and let me see how his super cool sword works".

Laughing at my reaction Yang reaches out her hand for a handshake in apology, "I'm just teasing you Cloud. To make it up to you I'll let it pass that you looked at my chest earlier".

"Okay, sounds good", taking her offer I grab Yang's hand and shake it while giving it a squeeze. As I hold her hand I can't help but notice that they have callouses of a fighter on them. When Yang starts squeezing my hand I notice she is applying more pressure than me. I squeeze back to try and equal it only for Yang to raise her eyes in surprise and increase the pressure.

As we stand there holding each other's hand, Ruby stares at us in confusion. Unaware of the silent competition. I'm surprised that it's starting to feel slightly uncomfortable. Her grip is tight enough at this point to pulverize rock.

Finally as I start to frown at what Yang is doing and she let's go with a smile.

"Sorry Cloud, I just wanted to test you a bit because you use such a heavy sword. I have to say you have one of the strongest grips I've experienced. That's say's something, believe me".

I don't doubt her strength at all.

I smile back at Yang as it was mostly harmless. "No, it's fine I guess. Your grip is almost as strong as a close friend of mine, Tifa. She was a hand-to-hand fighter though and didn't use any weapons".

That catches Yang's immediate interest and as I see her eyes light up. "She's a hand-to-hand fighter? Oh really, I'd love to meet her. Is she a new student at Beacon as well?". I then realize that Yang might be a battle-maniac

In the corner of my eye I notice that Blake had started to listen in on our conversation.

"You won't be able to find her in Remnant"

Technically true since she's back in my old world. However Yang catches on to what I mean.

"Oh, I'm sorry to bring her up then... Let me make it up to you alright? I'll let you take me out on a date".

Caught by surprise I say what pops into my mind, " Oh okay, sure".

Yang gives me a brilliant smile, "Looking forward to it then handsome". I watch in dumb silence along with Ruby as we both watch Yang walk off.

I just got myself a date?

* * *

**Author notes:**

**I don't plan on Cloud have a harem for those of you are wondering. You'll find out next chapter what Yang was thinking. When watching the show Yang was really outgoing and open so I thought the way she behaves with Cloud wouldn't be too much of a stretch in character. **

**Part of the inspiration for Yang to suggest a date was based on Clouds first meeting with Aaerith. Cloud had mentioned that his bodyguard service would cost her and Aaerith said she would go out with him once as payment.**

**Either way let me know in a review what you think. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Seeing the sun rise I decide to give up on sleeping. It was just impossible to get any sleep when there were so many people around. Might as well try to be productive. The Beacon initiation test should be in a few hours so I'll double check my equipment and ensure I'm ready for what ever may happen later.

Sitting down by myself in one of the empty rooms by the Ballroom, I enjoy the quieter environment as I unlatch my fusion sword to disassemble it for maintenance. Separating out each of the blades I begin the very familiar process of reviewing their mechanical components and checking their edge. To be honest my sword doesn't really need any maintenance since I worked on it the other day. However, I just need to do something to distract myself from what happened last night. That I had said yes to taking Yang out on a date without thought.

Picking up the first blade I start my routine check for any defects. While working I find my thoughts drifting.

Was Yang really serious about going on a date with me? I want to think that she was just teasing me but I'm not sure. I can't just ask her if she is serious. Even I know that asking her if she is serious about going on a date would be kind of rude. Yang is beautiful, I'll admit that. Any guy would be lucky to go on a date with her. The issue is that the guy who's taking her out on a date is me. I can count the number of dates I've gone on using two hands. Maybe even one hand if I'm being honest.

I pick up another blade to examine and review.

Where would I even take Yang? I've only been in Remnant for half a year and what I know about this world is practically nothing. In fact I haven't even left the Beacon academy and yet to visit the city so I don't even know where to take her.

Besides, I know I'm not a great conversationalist. This date with Yang is practically guaranteed to be terrible. What would I even talk about with her? I can't answer any question about my past because it would be about my old world, which leaves the only talking points being the last 6 months. Pretty sure talking about village life isn't interesting for most people. Not that I did much to be honest during my time there.

I put down the blade in my hand and pick up another.

Am I even ready to try and date someone? Me and Tifa were never officially a couple but if I'm honest I did have some feelings for her. I think she had feelings for me too but we never had the opportunity to make it clear with one another. To be honest I still do miss Tifa. What would she even say in this situation?

Having checked the last sword, I take out Cerberus to start maintenance on the handgun.

Actually, pretty sure I know what Tifa would say to me if she could give me advice. That I shouldn't make the same mistake and get hung up on the past. She would tell me that since it's not possible to go back to my old world that I shouldn't take things for granted while I'm here. To try new things, meet new people and make new friends.

However, do I even want to go out on a date with Yang? I barely know her and she barely knows me. Thinking back to what I've seen so far she seemed like a nice honest person with how she looks after her sister. She seems to value family ties. I'm also somewhat impressed by her ability to comfortably walk up and talk to strangers.

Having cleaned and maintained Cerberus I re-holster the gun and reassemble the fusion sword. Just as finish and clean up I hear the announcement, "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation."

I get up to start heading over to the cliff when as I open the door, I walk into someone I know.

"Oh sorry! I didn't know you were - oh its you cloud. What are you doing here?"

Hearing a now familiar voice I turn to look at Ruby.

"I woke up early, couldn't sleep. Thought I'd double check my equipment before initiation."

"Oh, that's smart! I guess you were working on your fusion sword then. Ah I guess I haven't shown you my baby crescent rose yet have I?"

She then enthusiastically unfurls the largest scythe I've ever seen. The combination of such a large weapon of death held by a small girl like her almost makes it comical.

"This beautiful red beauty is Crescent Rose! I designed her myself. Not only is she a deadly scythe, she can also transform into a high-impact sniper rifle that hits like a truck".

She then speedily goes on a rant describing to me all the details regarding her weapon. I'm impressed by the amount of detail and now begin to understand what Yang means when she says Ruby is a weapon maniac as she is lost in her enthusiasm.

All of a sudden Ruby stops when she realizes she was ranting.

"Oh sorry. I can get carried away when I talk about my pride and joy. Sorry, Cloud but thanks for listening." .

I nod and say, "It's okay".

She stays silent for a moment but her frown and expression is telling me that there is something she wants to ask.

"What is it Ruby?"

Hesitantly she answers, "Cloud are we friends?"

A bit surprised by her question I think about it for a moment. Our introduction was a bit weird but otherwise we had a good conversation last night. Even now it's pretty easy and comfortable to talk to her too. "I consider us to be friends."

Ruby smiles happily at my answer before she pauses and looks like she just remembered something.

"Cloud... are you and Yang really going to be going on a date? ", questioned Ruby.

"..."

I don't know what to say. Ruby hits me so abruptly with the very question I've struggled all night and morning with. My brain and vocal cords ground to an immediate halt. Before my brain can attempt to organize a response Yang suddenly appears.

"Of course Ruby! Cloud agreed to take me out on a date yesterday. Weren't you listening? You were standing right there."

Oh no... Ruby is taking what Yang said seriously.

I turn to look at Yang who has a giant smile after answering for me.

Oh no, she looks honestly happy which means... She might actually be serious about going on a date.

I'm lost in thought at this realization and then suddenly, shoulder to shoulder Yang appears right next to me.

"Good morning handsome, did you miss me so much that you want to walk me to the cliff?".

"..."

I was shocked silent earlier when I started to realize that Yang was serious about the date. Now I'm shocked silent again because of how close Yang is and my mind idly reaffirms the fact that she is a beautiful girl. In fact her eyes color is an amazing shade of lilac that I've never seen before.

Yang continues to smile at me even though I haven't replied. " Well I need to go get ready, so I'll see you two later".

I spent my childhood not being able to fit in and it was no different when I joined Shinra military. I'm just not that great at dealing with people and that includes woman. Yang's combination of friendliness and bold personality constantly surprises me as I've never had to deal with anyone like this.

Ruby then startles me by grabbing my shoulder. Looking at me with a serious expression she says, "... Cloud I think your a good guy so I expect you to be a gentleman and treat Yang well! Otherwise I'll be coming for you and your sword!".

She then runs off to catch up with her sister before I can say anything.

"..."

Did Ruby just approve the date with her sister? I'm lost at how the situation became like this.

As I make my way to the cliff for initiation, my thoughts are a chaotic storm as I analyze how the situation became the way it is now. At this point, can I not go on the date without insulting both Yang and Ruby now?

Gah, the initiation is about to begin. I'll just think about this date with Yang issue later. I half listened to Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch as they explained the rules of the test.

"…the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

What? Everything was left up to chance in terms of who your partner? I find myself questioning how Beacon was a top huntsman academy. How a partner is selected has me worried. I have a lot of things I want to keep secret about myself for now so having be stuck with someone is difficult for me to a accept. I don't know anyone here that I really trust among the students. Another thing was If there was one thing I could be sure of, it was that I had the worst luck.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you _will_ die."

Sounds like a Standard search and retrieve mission. The forest looks similar to the ones at Lightning Keep so I feel like I know what to expect and know how to spot Grimm in this environment.

" Now take your positions and get ready "

Get ready for what? I move to stand on the silver plates wondering what's happening since I only half listened to the explanation. Then to my utter shock I watched as one student after another was catapulted off the silver plates and sent flying into the air towards the forest. Looking around everyone only looked excited and barely any seem worried.

I realized that although this seemed insane by my standards, it was alright because Aura would protect the others from getting hurt. Me on the other hand didn't have Aura so I didn't have the same level of protection. I needed to figure out how I was going to land.

I could easily glide with my wings but I didn't want to reveal that I was a Faunas. I still know nothing about whether my fellow students were Faunas haters and I'd rather be cautious.

Not having figured out a solution yet, I was launched into the air before I was prepared. Blasting through the air I immediately channeled mana to my eye to help with visibility because of the speed I was flying. My sword is also making me fly at a much lower angle than other students because of its weight.

There's no choice, I need to use my wings. I decide that to try and minimize others discovering that I had wings, I would only materialize them after I get under the canopy of the forest. Hopefully the tree branches will obscure anyone from noticing.

I unlatch my sword to use as a shield for protection as I get ready to hit the branches of the forest. Changeling my mana I caste Haste on myself to improve my maneuverability and get ready to materialize my wings. Watching the approaching greenery, I brace myself and hope that the first thing I hit doesn't outright kill me.

*CRASH *

My sword is almost wrenched from my hands on the first impact as I canon ball through a particularly thick tree branch. Gritting my teeth, I concentrate on keeping a firm grip on my sword. Quickly materializing my wings I begin my attempt at the deadly forest obstacle course.

Keeping my eyes open for every bit of information, I bank left and right avoiding tree trunk collisions that would break my bones if not outright kill me and barrel though less damaging ones. Noting a large incoming trunk I dip my wings and dive below it, only to immediate course correct upwards to skim past another. I wrap my wings around myself to reduce my size and weave myself narrowly between two large branches of a tree before opening up my wings to continue to glide. As I bank to the left and avoid a tree, I get surprised by an unavoidable massive tree. It had been hidden from my view and I was on a collision course with it now. It's width too large to go around I shoveled a quarter of my mana into my Limit Break and hastily swung out a **Blade Beam**.

Hastily using a Limit Break like this is very mana inefficient and also makes the attack significantly weaker. Best to avoid unless in a dire situation like this. The small **Blade Beam** charges at the right side of the tree and explodes into a cloud of dust and splinters obscuring my vision. I dive into it the dust cloud anyways. Luckily, although the blade beam didn't destroy the tree, it had just enough power to pierce an opening through the side that provided enough space for me to pass through.

Once past this big tree I arrive at a small lake in an open area. Finally, I can focus on slowing down my speed and I safely guide myself to land on the grass beside the lake. I'm thankful as soon as my feet touch the ground. Canceling **Haste**, I start doing a breathing exercise to help calm myself from my adrenaline high.

Note to self, what people in Remnant consider to be safe may not apply to me and I need to be more wary from now on.

What should I do now? I didn't get very far through the forest because of the weight of the fusion sword. I was most likely a bit behind all the other students who should be ahead. Scanning my area for any dangers I notice there isn't anything visible. However, when I focus on listening with my enhanced senses I can hear the pop of distant gunshots which must be from other students. Making noise like that is bound to attract the Grimm and slow you down.

I begin setting out to where I believe the artifacts should be located. While staying wary of threats I start thinking to myself.

Do I want a partner? Can you even operate as a solo Huntsman? Sighing to myself I realize I don't have enough information and could only speculate at the answers. Since Ozpin mentioned that they were watching and evaluating us, I decide to follow what I learned in survival training and do what I think is best and let things develop naturally.

My plan of action is to focus on stealth, avoid the grim while getting the artifact and retreating to the cliff as fast as possible.

* * *

_Elsewhere with Yang Xiao Long_

Finally landing on the ground I couldn't help but smile from the experience of flying. Gotta love having an abundance of Aura and my Semblance which allowed me to barrel straight through the treetops without getting hurt. I was also able to use my weapons gun recoil to help slow my speed enough that I could land safely.

I can still feel the adrenaline pumping throughout my body. This is what Yang Xiao Long lived for and why I chose to become a Huntress. The unpredictable events and adventures.

Thinking about where to go, I remember I saw a brief glimpse of the artifact location in the air and start making my way towards it.

While walking and whistling a soft tune to myself I started to think about who would be my partner and if it were possible to choose, who would I want as a partner.

I love Ruby but I wouldn't want to be paired with her. After all, we are sisters and been together practically our whole lives. You could say we are partners by blood already.

Hmm... I wouldn't mind being partnered with Cloud, he seemed like a good guy. He has the spikiest blonde hair I've ever seen. It makes me wonder if he spends as much time on his hair as I do.

My first impression of Cloud wasn't great to be honest because of how he was talking to Ruby at first. I could tell that Cloud had terrified Ruby with the way he was so cold and... robotic. Still, my awkward sister hadn't even bothered to introduce herself before turning into a weapon maniac and oogling Cloud's sword. Being a good sister, I stepped in to help Ruby with the basics of social etiquette and properly introduced the two to each other.

To my surprise, the both of them ended up being able to hold a happy conversation. Even if what they bonded over was swords of all things. At least it was far better than when I introduced Ruby to Blake. That had been a spectacular failure. As Ruby and Cloud talked, I realized that Cloud wasn't a bad guy. I decided to get a little bit in revenge for my sister and tease him a bit .

Just thinking about his reaction when I flirted with him a bit makes me chuckle to myself. I can't help but tease him when he gets flustered from the tiniest bit of flirting. Yesterday, I had really been joking when I told Cloud that I would let him take me out on a date. To my surprise he had said yes. Of course, I had the feeling he had said yes without much thought but I made the choice to go forward with it. Then the joke kind of just kept going from there until it became what it is now.

I wouldn't mind a date with Cloud. He's decently handsome and you could even say he's pretty for a guy. Qualifies in the look department in my book. His strength is impressive based on our little handshake war and the weight of his sword. I also kinda like fact that he is a traditional swordsman, he's like those old fashion knights in fairy tales. The most striking feature about Cloud I noticed again today when I got closer was his eyes. They are an incredible bright green-blue and were practically glowing. I wonder if his eye-color is related to his semblance like how my eyes become red when I use my semblance.

I barely know anything about Cloud but either way I'll go with the flow and see where things go. Too bad that girl Tifa he mentioned is no longer around. I would love to be able to spar with someone else who focuses on hand-to-hand combat. I could see that she was someone important to Cloud.

Hearing the snap of a twig I stop and scan my surrounding.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Over on the bush to my left I briefly saw movement. Getting ready for anything I chamber up Ember Celica, my pair of shotgun gauntlets.

Leaping out of the bush a moment later is a Ursai ready to take a swipe at me with its claw. Reacting immediately, I step in to fire a perfect example of a boxers straight right punch that lands on its skull like mask. The moment my gauntleted fist makes contact, the Ursai explodes backwards dead when my gauntlet fires off its shotgun rounds upon impact.

Feeling movement behind me I turn around to see two other Ursai a short distance away getting closer. Not letting them surround me I rush down the closest one to me. Positioning Ember Celica behind me, I fire off a shot and use the recoil to fly towards the Ursai. Now in range, I quickly throw out a rapid chain of explosive punches into the body of the Ursai that makes it bend over in pain. Its leaning body brings its head closer to the ground, perfectly setting up an opportunity for an explosive uppercut as the finisher. The uppercut connects and the Ursai is launched with a bang and flies off like a cannon ball to crash and bulldoze over three trees.

Turning to finish off the last Ursai I'm left with nothing to do as I hear a gunshot followed by the sound of a blade piercing the Ursai. Peaking around the body of the now dead Ursai it turns out it was a fellow student helping me out.

As our eyes connect I discover my partner for the rest of my time at Beacon is going to be Blake from yesterday.

* * *

_Elsewhere with Blake Belladona_

Blake Belladona has never had good luck.

Which was why as soon as I landed in the forest it was right into the middle of a Grimm pack of Beowolves that I had just finished off. Sheathing Gambol Shroud while sighing to myself I start moving towards the artifact we need to retrieve. Pretty sure I saw the location when I was flying in the air.

I did not expect that Beacon would have our partner selection be left completely to chance. It would be a complete disaster if whoever I end up partnering with turns out to hate Faunas. Still, even if I could choose my partner I'm not sure who I would pick anyways. Perhaps it would be good to partner with Cloud. At least I know that he doesn't hate Faunas since he takes care of Carla. In fact it might be best if Cloud was my partner because the only person I see Carla accidentally letting know about me would be him. Finally, there was also that comment about Cloud being the same as us from Carla. Did she mean that Cloud is a Faunas?

Last night he had ended up choosing a spot close to me for the night. We didn't really talk to each other at the time but I I sneaked peaks at him throughout the night, looking to see if I could find out what Carla meant. However, I couldn't see any hidden Faunas traits or get any insights into Carla's little mystery statement. Honestly at this point I think I'll have to outright confront Cloud about whether he is a Faunas or not in order to determine the truth. I don't think Cloud will get too offended if he is just a human since he is alright with Carla but it might get awkward if he actually is a Faunas.

If he is a Faunus that brings up the question of how he is hiding his animal traits? Could he be affiliated with the White Fang and Cloud is one of those Faunas experiments? Cloud could then be here for two reasons. One is to infiltrate Beacon Academy as a spy or he could be here to go after me. Adam Tauras is not a man to forgive easily and I'm confident that he has White Fang members looking for me. Either of these scenarios are a real danger to me and I'm not going to be able rest easy until I can confidently confirm that Cloud isn't a threat. Call me paranoid but you don't survive in the White Fang without it.

I'm just going to have to confront Cloud about whether he is a Faunus or not and find an opportunity where it's just the two of us.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of a shotgun being fired not too far from where I am.

Could it be a fellow student who just ran into some Grimm. Grabbing Gambol Shroud I rush off towards where I heard the sound. I decided to come to Beacon Academy to be a huntress and help people so I should at least check to see if whoever it is might need my assistance.

Dashing into the clearing I see that most of the Grimm are already dissolving from being defeated except for one which isn't looking at me.

Seeing an opportunity to finish it in one strike I transform Gambol Shroud into it's chain scythe form and let the blade fly using its gunblade feature into the back of the head of the Ursai. As I move over to look at who my fellow student, we make eye-contact.

"Yang..."

"Blake! Guess we're partners for the next four years", says Yang with a huge smile on her face.

Great, since we made eye-contact according to the rules she is now my partner for the next four years at Beacon. She had introduced herself to me the other night and I didn't get the best first impression.

"Let's go, the sound of our guns is going to attract Grimm"

Choosing not to make small talk at the moment I start walking in the direction of the artifacts and Yang quickly catches up to me as we move forward.

Quietly I think about what it means to have Yang as my partner.

To be honest, I don't feel that Yang is the perfect partner for me. It's not that I think she is a bad person, its just that I feel our personality is pretty opposite from one another. I consider myself to be an introvert and she is very clearly an extrovert. Her weapon even fits her personality based on the sound of it. Still there's nothing much I can do about being partners at this point based on Beacons rules.

I wonder what Yang see's in Cloud? I had overheard their conversation when she and Ruby went over to him. It was pretty amusing seeing Cloud so flustered by Yang's flirting. I was a bit surprised when those two had agreed to a date towards the end of it. Does Yang really like him?

"Yang I overheard your conversation with Cloud in the Ballroom last night since you were right beside me. Are you serious about going on a date with Cloud?"

"Oh? Yea, why not. It's just another way to get to know one another. Are you friends with him? Is that why he chose that spot beside you?"

"We're not really friends... Just acquaintances. I met him earlier yesterday in the day".

"How'd you end up meeting Cloud?"

Would I be sharing too much if I talk about Cloud hanging out with Carla? Actually, this could be a good opportunity to find out whether Yang is against Faunus or not. As I carefully word my next statement, I watch Yang's expression for her reaction.

"Actually, I met Cloud because he was taking care of a little cat-eared Faunus girl. I was asked to look after her for a bit while Cloud had to talk to the headmaster"

"Hmm... I wonder what Cloud relationship with that little girl is", Yang tilted her head as she thought about it.

She didn't show any noticeable reaction when I mentioned Faunas nor to the fact that Cloud was hanging around a Faunas. I can't say with complete confidence that Yang doesn't hate my kind but at the very least it seems like she is neutral. I won't be telling her my secret right now but it's a good sign for the future.

Passing a group of trees we walk into a clearing where we see a old relic site that must hold the artifacts that we need to retrieve.

"Think this is it Blake? ", Yang turned to look at me questioningly.

I tell her with a silent blank stare that this is obviously it.

Drawing close enough to see that the artifacts are chess pieces, I notice someone else with blonde spikey hair is already there.

* * *

_Earlier in the Forest with Cloud_

I was pretty good at moving quickly while maintaining stealth and keeping my movement silent. After all I was taught by Yuffie who was a ninja and Vincent who used to be a Turk which is basically black ops. It was a required skill since we were often sneaking into enemy bases or around enemies.

So far it had been helpful in avoiding the Grimm in the forest and I've only had to silently eliminate a single pack of Ursai on my way to the artifact location. To be honest, I think a large part in why I haven't run into that many Grimm is because of the other students. Seems like most of them weren't focusing on stealth or avoiding the Grimm. I frequently heard the gunshots of the other students as they fought the Grimm somewhere in the forest. The sounds of their guns and weapons would only bring more Grimm to them. Can't complain though because it only made things easier for me since they were voluntarily acting the role of a distraction.

Along the way to the artifact location, I start thinking about my conversation with Ozpin the previous day when I left Carla with Blake.

Ozpin had asked to talk to me because he wanted to inform me that they had sent a team of huntsman to investigate Lightning Keep and confirm our story. I wasn't too surprised when they said that they couldn't get into the village itself yet because there were still too many Grimm inside. However, I was pleasantly surprised when Ozpin told me that they had found my dust motorcycle, retrieved it and brought it back to Beacon Academy for me.

Ozpin also asked about whether I was well enough for the initiation test. It was a valid concern since I had only just recently healed from my previous injuries. His smile seemed genuine when he heard that I was well. Told me he is really looking forward to seeing what a student endorsed by Garth could do.

Arriving at the artifact location I see that its been placed within what looks like ruins of some sort of circular stone building. Spread out in a circle stone pedestals with what looks like chess pieces on top. I can only assume that the chess pieces are what we are meant to retrieve. Seems like a few pieces had already been taken.

Looking at the different artifacts I notice one that stands out, a sliver miniature of wolf. Scanning all the artifacts it looks like this silver wolf is the only one that isn't a chess piece. Why is this the only one that is different?

Remembering my conversation with Ozpin, he had briefly mentioned that since I'm a last minute addition to the group of new students, they might have to change some things to accommodate me. He never did specify what those changes were though...

I wonder if this silver wolf is related? There's no double for it unlike the other chess pieces. Maybe there's only one because it gives you a higher evaluation on the initiation test?

Only one way to find out, I choose the miniature silver wolf as my artifact and store it away. Now it's time to head back to the to the cliff to complete the last part of the test. However, just as a I am getting ready to go, I turn around to see two familiar faces, Yang and Blake. Since they arrived as a pair, these two must have become partners.

"Cloud! I'm surprised you beat me here. I saw you fall behind when we were launched into the air.", Yang questioned while skipping up to examine the chess artifacts. " Hey, Blake, how about a little pony? "

Blake shrugs in response and lets Yang take the knight artifact while examining the rest.

" Did you not find a partner Cloud? ". Blake was observant enough to notice that there was no one else with me.

" No, I arrived here on my own. I guess they'll assign me to a team later"

I then hear a faint scream ringing through the air.

"... Hey, did you guys hear a scream? ", questioned Yang with a concerned expression as she looked around the clearing we were in.

Pausing for a moment I try and focus to see if someone was really screaming. Only to realize that it is coming from up in the sky. Seeing that I'm looking up, both girls follow my line of sight shortly after.

"... is that Ruby?". Yang squinted her eyes as she tried to identify the plummeting person.

The three of us were rooted to spot as we tried to confirm what exactly we were looking at. Eventually, the dot grew large enough for it to be clearly identified as Yang's.

" Ruby! "

Panicking at seeing her sister falling, Yang ran out with her hands out as if she planned to catch her.

Before Yang could do anything about her falling sister, Ruby was intercepted in mid-fall. A blonde teenage boy collides with her and carries her sideways into the trees close by. Ruby rested on a branch disoriented from the crash while the boy was entangled. It looks like their Aura protected them while they were crashing through the tree branches which was enough to slow their speed down safely.

Abruptly adding to my shock from Ruby and the blonde boy appearing out of nowhere, I hear another scream. This time though the scream is clearly from a beast and I turn to see an Ursai Major come into the clearing before dropping dead. There sitting on top of the bear as if the Ursai Major was a horse is a pink-haired girl screaming "Yee-haw". Running after her was who I assumed to be her partner, a teenage boy with black hair with a pink streak as highlight wearing clothing that looks like green asian-wutai inspired clothing. The pink haired girl dashed over having lost interest in the dead Ursai ran over to us and immediately grabbed the castle chess artifact piece.

Adding to the chaos, a girl with flaming red hair in golden armor erupts into the clearing followed by the largest scorpion Grimm I've seen during my time in Remnant.

"... Did she just run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?". Blake stared at the approaching girl and scorpion in shock. I had a similar expression on my face as I unlatched my fusion sword.

Ruby who has recovered from earlier then dropped down from the tree she was sent flying to run over and join our group near the artifacts.

" Ruby! Are you alright? ". Yang fussed as she looked over her sister.

" Gosh Yang I'm fine. Jaunne is probably worse off than me "

We all watch in amazement as the redhead being chased by the Death Stalker strikes out at her with her pincer. I then hear the redhead scream out, "Jaunne!" which the blonde teenager that crashed into Ruby scream back in reply, "Pyrrha!

Only for Pyrrha to finally make a mistake and fail to dodge the scorpion strike in time and be pelted towards us to join our group.

"..."

Completing our growing group, I hear a scream and look up to see another girl with white hair in a white combat dress fall from the sky to join us. She lands gracefully somehow summoning strange platforms that looks like symbols to help break her fall. Well this girl definitely knows how to make an entrance.

" Well now that the gangs all here, how we are going to deal with the Death Stalker?". Yang pointed at our immediate issue.

* * *

**Author notes : Leave me a review and let me know what you think. Next chapter will have more action that I hope you enjoy !**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

" I'll handle it !" Ruby ran off before anyone could say anything. Equipping her Giant Scythe, she charged at the Death Stalker while firing her sniper rounds at it. Only for the Death Stalker to ignore her sniper rounds by relying on its hard bone plated armor to absorb the damage. Screaming out a battle cry the Death Stalker charged towards Ruby because of her attacks. Meeting each other half way through their charge Ruby swung her scythe trying to slice into the beast head. Only for the giant scorpion to swat her back with its pincer claw. Ruby crashed into the ground before she groggily got back up.

Seeing that her attack had failed Ruby turned around and began retreating back to our group for safety.

Announcing its presence suddenly with a unbelievably loud bird cry was an enormous Grimm in the shape of a black bird called a Nevermore. Looking up at it I could see that it was flying down, and targeting Ruby just like the Death Stalker. I watch as the Nevermore pulls it's wings backwards and then flings it forward to launch a wave of black feathers as sharp as swords.

Realizing that Ruby is in serious danger and something needs to happen fast, I start sprinting as fast as I can towards her.

I'm not going to get to Ruby in time.

I split off a large blade from my fusion sword and hurl it so that the sword lands right in front of Ruby to act as a shield. The black feathers fly down like rain towards Ruby but bounce off of the sword shield she is now hiding behind.

I continue to charge forward as I bob and weave or strike out with my sword to protect myself from the rest of the barrage of black feathers.

Now that the Nevermore attack has ended, I switch to focus on dealing with the Death Stalker and charge at it myself.

As soon as I get close enough to the Death Stalker, it swings out its left pincer at me. Standing my ground I swing my giant sword to smack its pincer aside and deflect the attack. I take another step forward only to have to swing my sword again to deflect the other pincer. The large size of the Death Stalker and the way it winds up to swing it's pincer makes it easy to read it's attack and deflect it's blow. Furthermore, the strength behind it's pincer strikes aren't quite enough to push me back. Pressing forward once more I suddenly sense danger and duck to feel a rush of air blow my hair backwards. Flying through the air where my head used to be is the tail stinger of the Death Stalker. The real danger that comes from fighting a Death Stalker is the tail stinger which I'm constantly trying to keep track of to dodge. Deflecting and dodging its attack, I keep trying to press forward close enough to be able to attack it's head.

After a few moments I start channeling my mana to use a spell. Seeing an opportunity between it's attacks I cast **Haste** on myself. Feeling my body surge with new strength, I use my new faster speed to roll to the left and dodge to right to avoid it's pincer attacks instead of blocking and deflecting. Instantly closing the distance before it can react I swing my sword as hard as I can to be rewarded with a boom as my sword connects at last. It staggers backwards slightly from my blow and I can see that it is dazed. Looking more closely, I see a small crack in its bone white skull armor created from my heavy sword strike. Not letting the opportunity go I channel my mana for another spell as I jump onto its head. Once on top I lift up my left claw gauntlet, and pierce it into the crack of its skull armor and cast **Bolt** to electrocute the monster.

The Death Stalker twitches and screams in pain as I pour lightning into its insides in an effort to fry it. As it buckles back and forth in its attempt to dislodge me, I focus too much on not falling off while continuing to electrocute it and react too late to avoid the tail strike. Moving my sword so that it is just in front of me the Death Stalker is unable to pierce me through but I'm smashed backwards. Being hit so hard cancels **Haste** as I'm sent flying back with a nasty bruise on my chest.

Landing on my back with a boom, my breath is completely knocked out of me. Getting back up a moment later with a wheeze I turn to see the silver haired girl had dashed forward to attack after I was knocked off. Using some sort of ability she was able to encase the scorpion partially in ice and pinned it to the ground. The Death Stalker struggles but is completely unable to escape it's ice shackles.

Taking a deep breath I relax a bit as our group is temporarily safe for now. Looking up I see that the Nevermore is still there but quite a ways away.

Turning back to look at Ruby, I see the white haired girl talking to her in frustrated concern. As I'm walking towards the two of them, I see that they seemed to have resolved their disagreement.

I guess the two of them must be partners. Joining the two of them shortly is Yang who hugs her sister and looks her over to confirm that she was unharmed.

Once I'm near the three of them Ruby notices me, " Wow, Cloud thanks for the save !"

Nodding my head, "No problem".

"Seriously that was awesome. It was crazy to see you fight the Death Stalker on your own. You just kept charging it and then you smacked it in the head before jumping on and zapping it."

I grab the sword that had been Ruby's shield and recombine it with the fusion sword.

"Oh, I almost forgot. This is my partner, Weiss.", as Ruby pointed at the white-haired girl.

I turn towards Weiss to introduce myself, "Cloud Strife".

Weiss frowned as she looked at Ruby in disapproval for the way she had provided a less than stellar introduction before turning to look at me with a slight smile, "Nice to meet you Cloud. I'm Weiss Schnee and you have some impressive swordsman skills".

Interrupting our conversation, suddenly I'm given a hug from the side by a happy blonde. "Cloud ! Thanks for jumping in to help Ruby.", says a brightly smiling Yang. I gently pry her arms off as Weiss makes a suggestion, "We should get back to everyone else and figure out what we are going to do next".

After we all regroup to discuss what we are going to do, Jaunne in obvious panic points up towards the sky, "That Nevermore is circling back for us. What are we going to do ?"

Weiss shakes her head and answers, "Look, our objective is to get the artifacts which is right here in front of us. We don't need to dilly-dally anymore"

Ruby nods her head in support," She is right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and head straight back to the cliff. Fighting the Grimm isn't something we need to do" .

With no objections, those who had yet to grab and artifact quickly retrieved one and we all immediately began retreating in the direction of the cliff with Ruby leading the way.

* * *

Following Ruby we ran through the forest surrounding the artiact location and soon found ourselves deeper in what seemed to be the remains of an ancient ruin. Looking ahead I spot what looks like a stone bridge over a chasm leading into an abandoned and decrepit temple made of stone.

_*CAWWW*_

That damn bird was looking for us.

Hearing the bird cry of the Nevermore everyone quickly moved to hide behind different nearby building remnants to hopefully avoid the Nevermore's detection.

As we hide quietly, we abruptly hear the battle cry of the Death Stalker that we had left behind close to our location. Shortly after, the group of trees from behind us explode into splinters as the Death Stalker emerges. Screaming in range from being imprisoned in ice earlier it rushes forward to find us. Based on the short distance and our positioning, its only a matter of time before it does.

Ruby seeing that continuing to stay where we are will accomplish nothing makes an immediate group judgement call. " Everyone run for the bridge !"

Abandoning our attempt to hide, our group makes a mad dash to get to and cross the stone bridge I saw earlier. Briefly turning back I see that the Death Stalker has been increasingly closing in on us and it won't be long before it gets within attacking range. Pyyrha who was at the front of the group had just about reached the stone bridge turned around to spot the approaching danger.

" Keep going! Don't stop! ". Transforming her weapon into its rifle form, Pyrrha encouraged the group to run while firing at the Death Stalker to slow it down and buy us more time.

Making good progress, our group is about halfway through the process of crossing the stone bridge. Only to be interrupted by the screeching Nevermore that had easily spotted us while we were running out in the open.

" Everyone watch out ! ", cried Blake in warning.

Turning to the right my eyes widen when I see the Nevermore growing larger as it swoops in for a head on collision with us on the bridge. Just as it's about to reach us I push myself and leap forward just in time as the Nevermore bashes itself into the stone bridge and destroys the part I was just at.

I quickly check to see if anyone had gotten hurt or fallen into the chasm, and luckily everyone was safe. However the attack by the Nevermore had split up our group. I had managed to get to the ruins of the stone temple alongside Yang, Blake, Weiss and Ruby. Stuck on the other side with no immediate way to cross over to us were the others who had no choice but to fight the Death Stalker now.

Hearing another screeching cry from the Nevermore those of us who crossed the bridge could easily see that it was coming back to attack us. We'll just have to trust that the others can handle the Death Stalker for now as we need to deal with the Nevermore.

"Hit it with everyone we've got! ", yelled Ruby as she took the lead and jumped to higher ground to begin firing at the Nevermore.

I attach the fusion sword to my back before taking out Cerberus to shoot the Nevermore along with the group. At this distance there isn't much I could do with my sword. Distressingly, although we are all firing devastating projectiles at the Nevermore, it's speed and maneuverability in the air is helping it avoid any serious damage.

"Watch out! ", yells Blake just before the Nevermore begin's a new dive attack and charges itself into the part of the temple we are standing on. We are all blown into the air along with the platform we were standing on as it drops into the chasm below. Having seen the attack coming and prepared myself, I use all my strength to hop from falling debris to debris to reach the still stable part of the temple ruins. Proving the groups skill, no one was hurt from the attack and we were all able to use our own individual abilities to recover and regroup.

" We need a new plan! ", states Yang in frustration from our lack of ability to do significant damage to the Nevermore.

I quickly start thinking about what I could do.

The Nevermore's ability to fly in the air is the main issue. Materializing my wings isn't going to help because I've never tried an aerial battle before and I don't think I have any skills or abilities that I could easily use to fight it in the air and win. No one in the group could probably fly and I would be alone in my fight against the Nevermore without much support.

Then suddenly I remember that in the past I had fought a larger flying dragon monster called Bahumut. I had used one of the first Limit Break attack that I had unlocked called **Braver** to successful bring Bahumut to the ground. The Limit Break hadn't killed Bahumut but it was highly effective at sending it to the ground.

The Limit Break **Braver** was a simple but devastatingly effective boost to a swordsman downward strike. It worked similarly to Gravity materia where the mana is used to help create a dense gravity field. In this case, the gravity field surrounds the sword so that you can strike downwards exponentially stronger. Not ending there, upon sword contact with the enemy the mana then continues its destruction by charging into the attacked target as a magical gravity attack that forces the target to drop downwards like a meteor. However, the limitation to the Limit Break attack is that it needs to be a downward sword strike.

" Ruby I have a special attack that can bring down the Nevermore. However, it probably won't kill it and I need some time to prepare it "

Ruby seemingly getting an idea began to take lead on organizing our counter-attack against the Nevermore, " Alright I have a plan. Weiss, do you have enough Ice Dust to freeze it like the Death stalker and pin it in place? "

" Of course I have enough Dust. "

" Perfect. Yang, go distract the Nevermore and buy us sometime so we can prepare. Cloud do what ever you need to do to bring it down. I'll need both Weiss and Blake to help, but I think we'll be able to finish it with a combination attack once its down. "

As we set out to our respective tasks I think about what Ozpin had said during the announcement before initiation. He had said that it was expected that we don't hesitate to give it our all as we could run into situations where we might die... Would they really not intervene to save students? Thinking about our current situation, we were facing real danger. We are fighting an enemy that could fly while having to defend ourselves on a ruins of a temple that could easily collapse while overlooking a chasm that I'm not sure we could survive a fall from.

Yang's role in the next few moments would bear the majority of the danger due to her needing to distract the Nevermore for the rest of us. I may not know her well at all but right now we were a team.

"Yang wait... I can do something to help you fight the Nevermore". Turning around to look at me curiously she waited as I approached her.

Deciding to no longer hesitate, I placed my hand on her shoulder to cast **Haste.** Channeling my mana, it began to flow into Yang's body and envelope her in a bluish sparking glow.

"W-w-wow ! I feel really good ... Like stronger and things are moving slower". Stunned by her changed state I continued to feel the drain of my mana as I passed a quarter of it onto her.

"It's an ability of mine. I'm passing on my... Aura energy to you and it'll support you by boosting your speed and reaction time. It'll put a strain on your body and it won't last forever but it should help".

" Don't worry, with your help I got this! ", replied Yang while trying to reassure me with a confident and thankful smile.

I hope my support spell would be enough to help Yang stay safe as she distracted the Nevermore. Now I need to focus on myself.

Taking a deep breath I began funneling my mana to fully charge my Limit Break. I watched as Yang dashes out onto higher ground to get a clear view of the flying Nevermore and begin firing her unique flaming shotgun rounds at it. Successfully attracting its attention, the Nevermore dived towards Yang only for her to dodge by leaping into the air and launching herself around using her weapons recoil.

Yang began to lead the Nevermore around the temple in a wild chase. For now she was doing well and was safe. However, it would only take a single mistake for that to change.

I needed a plan to get within striking range with my sword against the Nevermore for my Limit Break **Braver **attack to work. Looking around at our environment I quickly come up with a rough plan as I feel my Limit Break become fully charged.

I start my preparations and switch my fusion sword for Cerberus and grab one of my few remaining Lightning Dust Crystal with my other hand. Watching the Nevermore as it chased Yang around I finally saw an opportunity to jump in. Predicting the path of the Nevermore, I threw the Lightning Dust Crystal where it was heading next and shot the Dust crystal to create an explosive electrical storm. Screeching in pain from my shocking attack it instantly locked onto me as its new target in it's rage.

"Yang! Meet me at the top of the temple ruins. I need you to give me a boost!". Trusting that I knew what I was doing, Yang immediately ran off towards the top.

The Nevermore eyeing me viciously for my earlier attack from above raised its wings and and flung them forwards to send a rain of black feathers at me. I quickly caste **Haste** on myself and take out my sword to dodge and deflect the barrage. There were simply too many. I fail to dodge a few and feel one of the feathers slice into my cheek and another one biting into my exposed shoulder. Although the shallow cuts stinged painfully, none of them were going to impede my battle capabilities.

As soon as the Nevermore finished it's projectile attack I see that it has started the process of trying to swoop in to attack me. I dash off from my spot in response and head towards the lower platforms of the temple ruins. Stopping when I reach the bottom platforms, I wait for the Nevermore and jump away at the last possible moment as it plunges into the ground I was standing on like a battering ram. As a result of its dive attack, the Nevermore had gone deep below into the chasm and gave me an opportunity to execute my plan.

As fast as I could, I jump from pillar to pillar and ran up towards the top of the temple ruins . While racing to the top I checked behind me to see the Nevermore flapping it's wings and beginning it's ascent to chase after me. So far things were going according to plan and hopefully the Nevermore would behave the way I expected. Reaching the top I saw Yang who was in place waiting for me. Perfect.

"Yang boost me as high as you can! "

Quickly, Yang locked her hands together to serve as a platform. Placing my foot on her hands, she grunted as she launched me straight into the air above like a rocket. The Nevermore upon seeing that I was airborne high in the sky with little opportunity to maneuver around immediately began to dash directly towards me with the intent of skewering me on its long sharp beak. Hitting the apex of my flight through the air, I began to fall downwards towards the Nevermore charging at me.

This is it.

I begin the process of unleashing my Limit Break **Braver** attack. The stored mana starts to funnel into the Fusion Sword and it get's enveloped in a visible crackling bluish glow that releases tiny sparks. As the energy in the sword builds I can feel the air around me slowly warp as the mana changes into gravitational energy. Raising my arms up in preparation to strike, I feel as if time has slowed to a crawl as I watch the face of the Nevermore grows closer.

NOW ! Swinging my sword down with all my strength I unleash everything I have into my Limit Break **Braver** attack. The heavy fusion sword accelerates in a downward strike impossibly fast with the aid of gravitational energy and smashes into the beak of the Nevermore. The heavy blow from the attack is strong enough that I can feel it's beak dent inwards and crack. Not stopping there, all of the gravitational energy in the sword had charged forward into the Nevermore upon sword contact. Instantly reversing the upwards momentum of the Nevermore and sending it backwards like a cannon into the rocky wall of a cliff on the side of the Chasm. Clearly damaged from the blow but not dead, the Nevermore falls downwards onto the a bit of shallow ground overlooking the pit in a cloud of dust and rock fragments.

Weiss having prepared exactly for this moment immediately fires off an amazing Ice attack that freezes the Nevermore in place. Stuck on that shallow outcrop of ground with its back against the cliff the Nevermore screams at us in rage and pain.

I watch as Ruby operates as a team together with Weiss and Blake to set up Ruby's finishing blow. I'm amazed by their creativity as Blake and Weiss use their abilities to slingshot Ruby while boosting Ruby's speed to the point she is a barely visible blur. Ruby rockets into the Nevermore and strikes it in the neck with her scythe. The momentum of Ruby's scythe attack so intense that the Nevermore is broken out of its ice imprisonment and dragged upwards along the cliff before having it's head decapitated.

Seeing that the Nevermore is dead I turn to look at the rest of the group to see them kill the Death Stalker and send it falling to its grave at the bottom of the chasm.

The fight against the Nevermore had really drained me of mana. Instead of sticking around with everyone I decide to head to back to the cliff on my own.

* * *

_Beacon Academy waiting room _

Leaning against the wall I stood in the waiting room behind the stage in Beacon Academy's where they were announcing the student teams. Ozpin was conducting the process and currently on the stage calling student names to come up onto the stage. The name of those who were called along with yours would be your team members. Once all the team members are on the stage, your designated team name would be announced along with who would be specified as leader of the team. I had arrived early since I had nothing else to do and it would only be a few minutes before it began.

Hearing the door to the waiting room open I see Ruby and her sister Yang along with Weiss and Blake walk in as a group. Looks like the initiation test had helped them bond together as friends. Spotting where I was, Ruby led the group towards me, "Hey Cloud !".

Ruby was still clearly happy from before. "Cloud you left right after we killed the Nevermore but we were all so awesome together! Everything was just perfect. It was so cool how your sword glowed all blue and then Bang! You smashed the Nevermore down and we combo killed it."

Noticing that she was getting carried away, Ruby rubbed her head shyly. "Ah sorry, got a little too excited. Well anyways, we worked well together and I hope we can find ourselves on a team together somehow.", Ruby said with a genuine smile.

Not letting her sister outdo her, Yang was equally happy and as exuberant. "Ruby's right handsome.! We made a great duo and I don't know what you did to me but I want more! I've never moved that fast before after you powered me up."

"Cloud how did you manage to bring down the Nevermore with one strike? I think I saw your sword had a bluish glow to it before you attacked.". Blake was much calmer than the pair of sisters but smiling none the less. Perhaps a bit more observant than than the both of them as well.

Thinking about how to explain without telling too much. "Well. I used a special attack but it required that I store up... my Aura before I can use it. You can say its a part of my semblance".

"Interesting. You were able to give Yang some sort of support ability and have some sort of Aura building attack. I remember seeing you electrocuted the Death Stalker previously as well with your gauntlet. Did you use some sort of lightning dust to do that? "

I'm surprised that Weiss remembered and noticed all of that. Perhaps she might be the most analytical of the group of friends and someone I had to be careful around unless I want her to uncover my abilities are completely different from a typical Huntsman in Remnant.

"Yea.. I like to use Lightningh Dust as a part of my battle kit". I'm hoping that my answer gives Weiss enough that she doesn't think about things too deeply.

"I thought you might when I saw you throw and shoot that Lightning Dust Crystal at the Nevermore. Although it was effective, I also hope you do understand how dangerous unprocessed Dust Crystals are. Schnee Dust Corporation never sells Dust Crystal like the one you used because it is extremely easy to accidentally explode and have to be stored properly. To be honest I was shocked that you would use them."

"..."

This line of questioning was starting to make me uncomfortable. The real reason why I have Lighting Dust Crystals is to help with Geostigma. I was having a harder and harder time explaining things. Luckily Blake saved me from further distress.

"Everyone has their own secrets. Let's not grill Cloud to explain why he does everything that he does. As fellow huntsman and huntresses we should trust that he knows what he's doing." To my immense relief after Blake's statement the series of questions stopped.

" Ah sorry Cloud we just can't help it because you were so awesome! I wouldn't mind having all of us be together in a team. What do you think? " said Ruby and brightening up the mood once again.

To be honest when we all grouped together at the Artifact location I thought that we wouldn't be able to work together that well. Its why I was extremely surprised when the fighting began and everyone was able to co-ordinate together to kill the Nevermore. Everyone contributed and the experience really reminded me of my old team back in my world. Back then we had only been able to defeat monsters like Sephiroth because of how well we were able to work together. The whole experience fighting the Nevermore had reminded how it can be great fighting together with others as a team.

" Yea, we did work together really well. I'd like to be in a team together.", hearing that everyone in the group nodded with a smile from feeling the same.

" It's unfortunate though that it would be unlikely. Beacon historically creates four people hunter teams. One of us would definitely be on another team.", Weiss informed us.

"Way to spoil the mood princess", said Yang to chide Weiss for her statement.

Then we heard Ozpin began to speak and call out the teams onto stage so we quieted down. As each team was announce I could hear the clapping and cheering even all the way here in the waiting room. Ozpin also explained that the teams were grouped together based on the chess pieces they retrieved. However, what about the silver wolf miniature that I had taken?

_" Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie,"_ Ozpin announced to the audience. Seeing the four of them begin to go on stage I realized that they were the fellow students who had been fighting the Death Stalker.

_" The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will be known as Team JNPR (Juniper), led by Jaune Arc! "_

" Sounds like Vomit-boy is leading the team ! "

" Yang! Be nice, Jaunne really stepped up when they were fighting the Death Stalker ".

It wasn't long before the four girls were brought onto the stage.

_"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladona and Yang Xiao Long. __From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."_

As the girls began to get off stage, Ozpin surprised everyone with another announcement. "I'd like to ask that Cloud Strife come onto the stage.".

Finally hearing my name I walked onto the stage and wondered who would be on my team.

"Due to some late enrollments this year we have an odd number of students which made it impossible for every student to be part of a four person team. As a result since Cloud Strife was able to obtain the lone wolf piece, he will be operating as a solo student unless there is a position that need to be filled by a first or second year team. That is all Cloud Strife"

The announcement that I would be operating as a solo Huntsman had attracted everyone attention so I got off the stage as quickly as I could. Walking back into the waiting room I felt... disappointed that I wouldn't be a part of anyone's team. It didn't think it was bad that I would be operating solo as it would make it easier to hide my abilities. Regardless I wasn't as cheerful like the rest of the students who now knew who they would be working closely with.

Upon entering the waiting room I ran into Ruby and the rest of them. " Wow Cloud! I don't think I've ever heard of someone being a one person team at Beacon. Guess Ozpin thinks your too awesome huh? ", teased Yang.

Not in the mood for her banter I shrugged and walked past them to leave.

* * *

**Author Notes: Let me know what you think with a review. Thank you to all those who have taken their time to do so. **

**I hope you liked how I've changed the battles to include Cloud in them. Took some creative liberty with creating an explanation for how Braver worked. If you watch Advent Children he did use Braver to smack down Bahumut who looks like a size of a small building. Thought it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for Cloud to use it against the Nevermore.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 **

Yang Xiao Long POV

Listening to Ozpin announcement, I couldn't be happier with who was on my team. Ruby, Weiss, Blake and I had all fought together against the Nevermore and it had been awesome. During the fight working together has just felt... Right. We really came together, and I felt we had great team synergy. Thinking of the future I can't help but be filled with an expectation that we would be one of the best teams of Beacon. It also looks like us sisters were going to continue to be together as well.

As we were strolling together as a happy team heading back to the waiting room, I heard the Headmaster call Cloud up onto the stage.

Cloud had been with us during the most intense parts of the initiation test. The team that gets him was going to be really lucky. I saw for myself how good he was in a fight and he had that awesome support ability that gave me a boost. I would have loved to have Cloud on my team for that alone. If you could choose who could be on your team, I'm sure Cloud would be a first pick for most people.

Which was why I was extremely shocked when Ozpin said that Cloud would be operating solo and only be assigned to teams who need an extra person or a spare. Thinking back to how Cloud had saved Ruby and his ability to handle himself so well during the fights, I guess he would be skilled enough to be on his own. The headmaster should know what he's doing too.

Soon after the announcement ended Cloud came back to the waiting room. Still in a happy mood I couldn't help but try and tease him a bit.

" Wow Cloud! I don't think I've ever heard of someone being a one-person team at Beacon. Guess Ozpin thinks your too awesome for a team. "

To my shock he didn't look that happy, shrugged at my comment and walked past me to leave. I thought I'd get an embarrassed smile, a blush or at least he would say something. Instead he pretty much just left my hanging.

I couldn't help but feel confused as earlier before we had all been happily chatting together. However, now that he was announced to be working solo, he had just brushed me off with a rather cold attitude.

" Jeez... Wonder what's wrong with Cloud? "

Turning to look back at my team I get another surprise and see the disapproving look on my partner Blake.

" Yang... You were being a bit insensitive". The look on my face must have told her I clearly didn't understand.

" Look Yang, just before Cloud was with us talking happily about how great it would be to team up together. Now we are all on a team together except for Cloud who has been left out. Not only that, Cloud isn't going to be on anyone's team. When you made that comment, he could have taken it as you rubbing it in. "

" There's also the added complications of being solo. Beacon Academy's test are typically designed for a four-person team where you can only pass when you work together. I'm not sure what they'll do in Cloud situation, but this could mean that he has to achieve what you would expect from a team by himself. ", added Weiss.

Listening to both Blake's and Weiss's explanation, I finally began to understand what I may have accidentally done. The unsettling feeling of guilt began to set in.

Putting myself in Cloud's position I can see myself feeling how Blake and Weiss had described.

I hadn't meant to make Cloud feel bad and just said what came to mind. Cloud was a good guy and he hadn't hesitated to jump in to help my sister Ruby when she was in trouble.

Biting my lip I decided I needed to make this right and clear the misunderstanding. "Alright... I guess I kind of screwed up there. I'm going to catch up to Cloud to fix this, so I'll meet the rest of you girls back at our dorm. "

Not bothering to wait to hear what they had to say after that, I ran off to chase after Cloud. Entering the hallway, I looked around only to catch a glimpse of spiky blonde hair go around the corner at the end of the hall. Following him I go around the corner to see him walk out the door and go outside. Running out the door I yell out his name to catch his attention.

Turning around I see the surprise on his face to find that I'm here walking up to him instead of with my team. Once I'm in front of him I see that he is back to staring at me with his typical blank expression. I don't like apologizing, but I steel my determination to do it.

" Cloud... I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier as it might have been insensitive. I didn't mean it in a bad way, and I didn't realize until Blake and Weiss explained. I just wanted to let you know that I would loved to have you in our team and I'm surprised you aren't on one. "

"... It's fine Yang. I'm surprised too but I think Ozpin has his reasons why. "

He still doesn't seem to be happy but at least I've cleared up any misunderstandings. " Well if you ever need anything you can come to Team RWBY for help."

Hmm, maybe I should have talked to the team before saying that but I'm sure they would have agreed.

"Thanks Yang", Cloud says with a small smile.

I should head back to my dorm room to see the rest of the girls. Then I realize I don't know where the dorms are. I hadn't bothered to look at a directory map and it was really only my second day at Beacon academy. Cloud was probably heading back to his dorm room and seemed to know where he is going so I could ask him. Only to be surprised when he points at the building in the opposite direction where we had been heading.

Unable to suppress my curiosity, " Thanks Cloud, but where were you heading off to?"

" I wanted to clear my mind for a bit. Was thinking of exploring Vale. Haven't had a chance yet"

"Oh, how were you going to get to the city? There aren't any air ships scheduled to fly to the Vale for the rest of the day."

" Ah I have a dust motorcycle I was going to use. "

Oh my... Other than Ember Celica, my next most prized possession is my yellow and black dust motorcycle Bumblebee. Racing on Bumblebee was one of my favorite past times, but I had it stored at the moment. Hearing how Cloud's bike was here I couldn't help missing Bumblebee and I wanted to know what Cloud's bike looks like. A solution comes to mind at that moment and I immediately begin to execute my cunning plot.

"Well Cloud, I want to make it up to you for earlier. I just happen to be pretty familiar with Vale so I can be your tour guide and show you some cool spots"

"..."

His slight frown told me was quite hesitant. Time to seal the deal.

I get close to him and give him my best puppy eyes. "It'll make me feel better if you let me do this for you... "

" Alright... Thanks Yang". It was quite a half-hearted thanks which meant he probably didn't mean it. Oh well, Cloud might not know it, but he was in for an adventure tonight.

" Good, now lead the way handsome! I guess I'll be the one taking you out on a date". Laughing at his dumbfounded expression, I started pushing his back to urge him to move faster.

* * *

_Headmaster office - Beacon Academy _

" Thank you everyone for joining me in this meeting."

Inside my office with me was Glynda, Garth and general Ironwood through virtual conferencing. Ironwood couldn't be here physically as he had his own Huntsman academy to run in Atlas. " You didn't tell me much about why we're meeting Ozpin. "

" No time for any pleasantries general? It's been quite some time since we last spoke."

" He ain't the only one that wants this meeting started. Let's get to the point." Shaking his head, I can see Garth didn't want to stay longer than he needed to.

That comment by Garth also earned Glynda's glare who felt he was being rude. Garth blunt personality has always made it so the two of them didn't get along that well.

" We are here today to discuss the peculiarities of one of my newest students, Cloud Strife."

At the mention of Cloud's name I see Garth immediately tense up from his previous relaxed posture.

" He has demonstrated abilities that have been unique enough to catch my attention and possibly our adversary as well. "

I then turned on a virtual projection that showed a recorded video that contained a collage of Cloud fighting the Grimm during the initiation test.

" Cloud has demonstrated the ability to fire lightning bolts, heal and enhance others as well as other energy-based attacks. All without the use dust."

The room was silent at the implications.

" Could his abilities be derived from his Semblances? It looks like he has a few abilities that create electricity. ", questioned Ironwood.

" Not very likely to be from his Semblance because they are just too varied and different from one another. An electrical semblance although rare, is still documented enough that some of his abilities would not make sense. Especially without the use of elemental dust. "

" Maybe Cloud just has an undocumented Semblance unique to him? ", questioned Glynda.

" Perhaps Glynda, but it's the combination of other strange abilities that creates concern. Such as his illness which he calls Geostigma. ".

The virtual projection then changed to show pictures of the visible dark splotches on his skin.

" Searching our databases, we found nothing called Geostigma and the symptoms don't match anything existing. Interestingly, the only way Cloud has been able to treat it is through consuming Lightning Dust Crystal. "

" Impossible. Human or Faunas aren't capable of absorbing the energy from Dust Crystals like that. " Ironwood wasn't the only one with a look of disbelief, Glynda was equally stunned at the revelation that Cloud could eat Dust Crystals. One of the most volatile of all of the elements as well.

" I've seen him do it myself while he was in our infirmary. Whether he is human or faunas is also up for debate. He has shown the ability to hide his Faunas traits which are wings. What's strange is that they aren't contained within his body but de-materialize into particles"

The video then changed to one of Cloud de-materializing his wings in the infirmary.

"What are you suggesting Ozpin? " Ironwood and Glynda were both at a loss for what all of this means.

"We know that who ever is supplying the White Fang Extremist are taking in children for experimentation. So far, we have not been able to discover who the perpetrator or organization conducting the experiments are. However, we have been able to recover the bodies of what we assumed are the failed experiments. Investigating their cause of demise has shown that it was attempts at genetic manipulation focused on changing or enhancing their abilities. "

I paused for a moment to let the disturbing information sink in while changing the video to show a DNA graph.

" When Cloud was brought to us, he was injured. However, for some reason his wounds weren't healing so we took some samples to conduct tests and see if we could determine what was stopping his healing. Examining his DNA we discovered that it had been significantly tampered with... His strange ability to hide his wings could be a result of that. "

" My investigative team on the White Fang have found that they are trying to figure out a way to hide to their Faunus traits. One of the biggest challenges for the White Fang is gathering information because their loyal operatives are all Faunus with obvious traits that make it impossible for them to go undercover. I've heard that they've been conducting experiments to see if they can get around this but haven't found any success. ", added General Ironwood with a solemn expression.

" Could Cloud be a white Fang operative trying to spy on us? ", suggested Glynda.

" Cloud ain't one of those bastards. ", spat out Garth in anger.

" I'm just trying to see this from different angles. He could be acting innocent to fool us.", Glenda replied back with annoyance.

" We're talking about the kid without him around. I don't like this and don't think its right. I've been with him for six months before and _not_ _once_ has he shown himself to hate humans or want to hurt anyone. In fact this could be helpful information for Cloud. It could help the kid possibly get some of his memories back. "

" Calm down Garth. I don't think Cloud is a danger which is why I had allowed him into my academy. When you originally asked me to look into Cloud I had Qrow follow him from a distance those times you had him leave the village. I thought that he might show different behavior when away from public eye but so far, he hasn't shown any suspicion behavior. "

Ironwood picking up on Garth's last statement, " The boy has an issue with his memories? "

Nodding my head, " Yes, he seems to be missing most of his memories from before six months ago. From what Garth has shared, Cloud has needed to relearn a lot of basic information such as what is Dust, what are Huntsmen, as well as how to read."

" If it is true that he has been experimented on then the memory impairment may possibly be a side-effect from the experimentation done on him.". Ironwood's speculation was a possible explanation.

" Our test results indicate that his Geostigma has also been found to be a genetic disease and not a viral one. "

" What could be the goal of the experiments done to him then headmaster? ", asked Glynda in confusion.

" I believe that Cloud may be an experiment on trying to create someone with the abilities of a maiden artificially using Dust. We know our adversaries are very interested in obtaining the abilities of a maiden. Would it not be possible that they would try to artificially create those powers through experimentation? "

" That is a very bold guess Ozpin. I can't imagine what they would have to do to make that a remote possibility. "

" There has been extensive genetic change and damage to Cloud. The fact that he is functioning and normal is a miracle. As evident by Clouds abilities they may have found some success based on his varied abilities. However their chances of recreating success is probably abysmal as honestly it was probably luck that Cloud survived. "

" As insane as that sounds ... it does potentially explain things. Obviously his Geostigma sickness shows that it didn't work along with the damaged memories. Still if our adversary were to find out that he roaming freely there could be danger. Perhaps we should quarantine him for study. What ever was done to him we could potentially learn from and use for good instead of evil. "

" The kid hasn't done anything wrong. You are _not_ locking him up to be a test subject." Garth practically hissed. " He ain't going to come willingly either if what Ozpin said about him being experimented on is true. Hell, he freaks out when you mention the word _Test."_

_"_ I have to agree with Garth. Cloud has not done anything to warrant being locked up and he has only helpful to those around him since he was discovered. He exhibits traits and a personality that makes him a potentially great Huntsman in the making. Cloud is also my student and I will protect him as necessary. "

"Fine... I disagree but won't force the issue. However, we should still keep a close eye on him. If his memories were to ever return he could potentially be a threat. In addition, so far this has mostly been speculation. Do you have anyway to prove any of what you said is true about Cloud?"

Grabbing the remote controlling the visual projection I changed it to show an image of a thin man in a white science lab coat with pale skin and long black hair. It was a blurry image but you it gives you a rough sense of what he looks like.

" Although we don't know who is completely responsible for the experiments or their overall plans, Garth who has been doing his own investigations was able to acquire this image that we believe could be one of the scientists connected. I am planning on sharing it with Cloud to see if it may trigger any memories or if he has any helpful information to share. "

* * *

_Burger joint by the __Ocean_

Looking at the waves crashing onto the beach I couldn't help but think about how its been a long time since I've seen the ocean.

"Cloud you going to eat those fries? ". I could see that Yang was very eager for me to answer this question. Seeing how much she liked them I decided to just pass her all of my remaining fries which she happily received.

We were currently sitting in the outside patio of a fast-food burger joint by the ocean beach near Vale. Since it was already fairly late into the day, the tour of the city was more of a quick drive through the different neighborhoods of Vale rather than in depth exploration. In the end, Yang had wanted to take me to one of her favorite spots to eat dinner and relax and that's how we ended up here.

" You never told me why this is one of your favorite spots Yang. ". Having just finished off the fries, Yang was looking pretty content as we watched the sun set over the ocean together. We had arrived at the perfect time for this spectacular view.

" Well I grew up on a large island called Patch which is west of Vale. Living there I could easily see the ocean all the time. Seeing the ocean like this just reminds me of home and growing up with Ruby so that's why I like it." Yang's gentle smile told me that she had fond memories of Patch." Say Cloud, where did you grow up? Your so good at fighting too. Which Academy did you go to? I went to Signal on Patch before coming here to Beacon ".

I didn't want to lie to her, but after thinking for a moment I decide to stick to what I had shared with Garth and Elizabeth before.

" I have a ... memory problem. I don't remember much of anything about Remnant before six months ago when I was found by a Huntsman named Garth and taken to a village called Lightning Keep. To answer your questions though, I remember growing up in a small town called Nibelheim which was burned down later. I also have memories of being a mercenary and I guess they've stuck with me like muscle memory or subconsciously or what ever so that's how I know how to fight. "

"...". Yang froze in shock from what I shared. " Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your memory Cloud. I guess you might not know, but do you remember if you have any family? "

" Not too much to say about my family. I do remember that my mother passed away during the Nibelheim fire. I'm pretty much on my own now. " Talking more about this was only going to bring down the mood. " Tell me about your family Yang. "

" Well... Ruby's my half-sister if you didn't know. We share the same dad but I was born from a different mother". Yang looked down as she fidgeted with her burger wrapper before giving me a shrug. " My biological mother left us shortly after I was born. "

Crumpling up the burger wrapper into a ball she then pitched it into a garbage bin not too far away from us before looking back out at the ocean.

" I've always wanted to find her and ask her why she left us. " Yang quietly muttered. " She was a pretty famous huntress back in the day. Right now, she's missing and no one I know has seen her but I'm sure she's alive and I'll find her someday. "

Sinking into her chair with a sigh, " Jeez Cloud. I didn't mean to bring down the mood by talking about all this. "

I could see that finding her biological mom was important to Yang. " Do you have a picture of her? I'll let you know if I ever see her. "

Yang seems a bit surprised before she smiles at me, " I do actually ". Shen then takes out her scroll to show me an image of a woman I try to memorize. Long black hair and surprising blood red eyes. If I needed to describe her with two words, it would be beautiful and deadly.

" Thanks a lot Cloud... If you ever need anything you can always come to me. " She emphasizes her point by jabbing a thumb at herself with a confident smile. " Since you lost your memories, we'll just have to make better ones to replace them! We are both going to be at Beacon for the next four years so we'll have plenty of time to make them. "

A now comfortable silence falls between us as we enjoy the ocean view. The whole adventure together with her had actually been really ... nice. Driving around the city and then coming here for burgers while watching the ocean had been enjoyable.

" Hey Yang ... Thanks for spending time with me this evening. It's been great ", I said with a smile.

Smiling back at me, " Yea, it's been good. We should start heading back to Beacon before it gets too late. Oh, just so you know, the gates will be locked when the sun sets so you'll need to drive us a little faster".

"..."

The only way to get back to Beacon Academy before night sets would be to drive recklessly fast. Somehow I think that is exactly what Yang wants and what she had planned from the start.

* * *

_Yang Xiao Long - Team RWBY Dorms_

I couldn't help but chuckle at what just happened earlier with Cloud while walking back to my dorm to meet up with my team

I had lost track of time while we were spending time together. It was only after we finished eating at the burger joint that I realized that we really should have headed back to Beacon earlier. At that point the only way Cloud could get us back into Beacon Academy before gates closed was to rush us here on his dust motorcycle. What happened next was incredibly shocking.

Cloud had actually started speeding and racing down the highway to get us back home on time. As an unexpected twist to our night, the local Vale Police Force had started giving chase. Only to end in my amusement when Cloud thoroughly ditched them in his dust. It was an absolutely unexpected but thrilling way to end the night. Seriously, Cloud might be as good at me at riding a bike.

I make a mental note to challenge Cloud to a race with Bumblebee in the future as I enter the dorm.

Walking in the first thing I notice is that the beds are stacked on top of each to create bunk beds that don't quite look secure. However, what concerns me right now isn't the beds, but the three girls sitting on them and staring at me unhappily.

"Uh... Hello girls. How are you all doing? "

Their response is to continue to stare at me in disapproval for a few moments.

Unable to resist anymore, Ruby broke the silence. "Yang, as team leader I demand you tell me where you went! I know you went to apologize to Cloud, which is good, but we just formed our teams and you didn't even stick around for our first team meeting. You've been gone for hours! "

" Well ... "

I then began telling them about how I had apologized to Cloud and cleared up any misunderstandings between us. That it had to me being his tour guide for Vale as an apology. The different places that we went and the ocean stop. They were quite surprised to hear that Cloud had memory problems and the sad bits that he did remember. I finished by letting them we lost track of time and rushed back.

Weiss who hadn't said a word the whole time and just listen finally decided to speak. " Yang, tell me if I understood this correctly. The reason why you didn't stick around for our first team meeting is because you decided to go on a little date with Cloud.".

"Err... Well... It wasn't so much a date as it was me and Cloud just _yanging_ out! ."

"..."

I was attempting to lighten and defuse the tension in the air with my brilliant little pun. Sadly, the silence I received told me they had no sense of humor.

"Hey, I also did send you all a quick scroll message that I would be back in a few hours before I left."

Somehow I don't think my extra comment helped with the situation.

"Gah, well your forgiven this time since your here now and you were only gone a few hours. I'm glad that you addressed things with Cloud. He's a good person. ", said Ruby with a huff.

" It's sad to hear that Cloud is amnesiac and been that way for the last six months. I never would have guessed it. The way he uses his abilities during the initiation test is as if he has been training for a long time. ", Weiss stated with a wondering look on her face.

" Not to be mean or anything but it doesn't seem like Cloud had an easy past based on what he shared. In fact some people would even prefer if they don't remember their past anymore.", Blake mentioned sadly.

" Well either way you were right to tell him that he can come to us for anything Yang. That's what friends are for! ". No one on the team disagreed with Ruby's statement.

* * *

_A few days after initiation _

Concentrating I began to channel my mana to get ready to try and cast a spell. Once I felt like I had stored enough mana I began the process of trying to cast **Barrier** without the materia to aid me. Channeling the mana around my body I willed it to solidify into a defensive protection that if done correctly, should halve any incoming damage. Finally, I felt it work and a weaker version of Barrier was in place around my body. However, it had taken a little more than half of my overall mana in order to cast. Checking the **Barrier** effectiveness, I'd estimate that it would only block one-tenth of the damage instead of halving it if casted with materia.

This was a disappointing result, how frustrating.

When I had thought back to what happened during the initiation test, I had realized that my lack of Aura defense was a serious weakness. Before coming to Beacon, my only experience fighting other Aura users had just been Garth. However, during initiation when I had grouped together with other students to run away from and ultimately fight the Death Stalker and Nevermore, it had opened my eyes to the vastly different weapons of Remnant.

Nearly everyone my age was using some sort of gunblade type weapon. It really made me realize what Yang comment mean when she said that I was a traditionalist. It seems both myself and Garth are the exception rather than the norm as we both stuck to what I consider traditional standard weaponry.

The issue here is that gunblades added an extra element of danger that I had to worry about. That is getting shot up close. Parrying bullets and taking the occasional bullet hit hasn't ever been too much of an issue for me. However, gunblades always have an opportunity to shoot you point blank with each strike depending on the weapon. Even I would have a really hard time if I keep taking shotgun shots to the chest point blank every time I block an attack.

My idea to help with this weakness was to figure out how to use my old spell **Barrier**. Unfortunately, it just wasn't good enough with the massive mana consumption for a relatively weak improvement in defense. I would be better off using the mana to attack and focus on prevention of damage as opposed to taking the damage. Silently sitting in my room I considered what I could do. One idea was to boost the defensive power of **Barrier** by restricting it to critical locations on my body where a hit would be a fatal blow. Reducing the coverage and focusing it could help it use less mana and improve its defense. Not something I've ever had to try to do before but it could be a potential fix.

Another possible solution would be to use a Lightning Dust Crystal and see if I could somehow power the spell directly with the Dust Crystal instead of using my own mana. I hadn't tried it before because I knew how volatile Dust Crystals are. However, I've always felt as if materia and Dust Crystals are really similar. Maybe I could use a Dust Crystal like materia to make it easier to cast spells. This was a serious enough issue that it might be worth taking the risk of having a Dust Crystal explode on me. Using cure I could probably survive any accidents... I think.

Either way I was done experimenting with Barrier at the moment since I was feeling pretty drained. Over the next few days I was going to need to buy some Lightning Dust Crystal's for my Geostigma because I'm running low. I had yet to experiment to see if other Dust Crystals helped my Geostigma the same way as Lightning ones do. However, it was because I was worried that it might only work with lightning element and the other elements would just explode inside my body.

Even a full power cure isn't going to fix that most likely.

Interrupting me from my thoughts I hear my scroll ping. I had found it pretty amusing that what people called scrolls here in Remnant were pretty much the same as my cell phone back in my world. Checking the notification it told me that Ozpin had requested a meeting with him at his office.

Maybe Ozpin wants to explain how being a solo Huntsman in a school of teams was going to work? Well at least I get a whole room to myself and don't have to share with three other people.

Changing into the uncomfortable Beacon Academy student uniform I left my room to head to the headmasters office to see Ozpin. To my surprise I see Team RWBY waiting outside the elevator door as well when I get there.

"Hi Cloud! We got messaged to see the headmaster. Did you get a message from the headmaster too? ", said Ruby as soon as she saw me.

"Maybe it has something to do with the Nevermore we fought during initiation? ". Weiss suggested a possible reason. Still, I don't remember anything about the Nevermore being all that unusual. If anything, it might be because he has questions about my abilities that I had displayed. Honestly, I could only speculate.

Suddenly the doors opened and Glynda beckoned us in.

* * *

**Author Notes:**

**What do you think of Yang? Do you hate her or like her? Please let me know in the review whether you would want to see more of her.**

**Also, what do you think of Ozpin's interpretation of Cloud abilities? Does it make sense why he would think of Cloud the way he does to you? **


End file.
